Playing different rhythms in both hands.

[stillofthenight]

I am trying to play Chopin's Nocturne No 72 in E minor. The music looks like it calls for eighth note triplets in the left hand and a melody that doesn't always fall in the best places. Like in bar 2 how am I suppose to play the triplets with just the left hand and then the eighth note melody that plays against the final triplet. That would be like playing 2 against 3? I just lose the feel of everything when different rhythms at same time need to be played.

[j_menz]

Do a search of the forum for "polyrhythms" - you'll get heaps of good advice (and rather too much to satisfactorily summarize here).

[outin]

I am trying to play Chopin's Nocturne No 72 in E minor. The music looks like it calls for eighth note triplets in the left hand and a melody that doesn't always fall in the best places. Like in bar 2 how am I suppose to play the triplets with just the left hand and then the eighth note melody that plays against the final triplet. That would be like playing 2 against 3? I just lose the feel of everything when different rhythms at same time need to be played.

Yes, those are simple polyrhythms. You could try this: First figure out how it should sound by playing it slowly with both hands counting to 6 to learn the correct timing of notes. (or just play the second RH note slightly after the 2nd LH note) When you get it concentrate on separate hands again so that they sound smooth. That's how I got it.

[brogers70]

You can also practice scales in polyrhythms. For example, your RH goes up three octaves in triplets while your LH goes up 2 octaves in eighths. And vice versa. And then 3 against 4, 4 against 5, and on and on. It's frustrating at first, but once you get it going smoothly, it's a lot of fun.

[stillofthenight]

You can also practice scales in polyrhythms. For example, your RH goes up three octaves in triplets while your LH goes up 2 octaves in eighths. And vice versa. And then 3 against 4, 4 against 5, and on and on. It's frustrating at first, but once you get it going smoothly, it's a lot of fun.

I put the polys into a music editor and am analyzing it. It seem like 2 eighth notes against eighth note triplets is the simplest because the last eighth note is trapped between the two final note of the eighth note triplet with equal spacing (correct me if I am wrong).

When I put into the editor regular sixteenth notes against eighth note triplets it looks like the spacing is not equal between the notes like if you were to sandwich in the sixteenths into the triplet. That doesn't look to fun to get down it seems. What are the most common types and easiest types of polys to play?

[kalirren]

Yeah, the spacing in 4v3 isn't equal.  The gaps between the thirds and the middle fourth is twice as big as the gap between the thirds and the outer fourths.

I've never been able to get cognitive rhythmic independence of two voices in my head, so when I play a polyrhythm it's really a single, very fast rhythm with lots of rests.

For 4v3, what I found really helpful was to practice "1-2-rest-4" vs. "1-2-3", then add the middle beat.

[coolpianoman]

Sorry to bring up an old topic but I am trying to play scales in polyrhythms and having difficulty even after reading these posts.  Is it possible someone has the notes of say a C Major scale in various polyrhythms written down as this would be so much easier.  OK I appreciate I could do this slowly myself but why struggle when someone else might have it? Chris