Players often need to get out of their head and into their body. One way of doing this is by getting them to stop counting. Associating rhythm with simple words frees players to think less about timing and more about the feel of the rhythm.
Here’s how it works:
There are only three main “Fruit Loops”: “Apple”, “Watermelon”, and “Strawberry”. Let’s begin by looking at “Watermelon”. “Watermelon” has four syllables in it. Each syllable counts for one beat. A “Watermelon Groove”, counted WA-TER-MEL-ON, is just another way of counting fours. A “Strawberry Groove” is counted STRAW-BER-RY – making a triple feel, and a simple duple feel is an “Apple Groove” – AP-PLE.
Once players seem comfortable with using the three main “Fruit Loops” to count time, you can begin introducing ways of combining the “Fruit Loops” together to make interesting combinations. Want to play a sing in 7/8 time? Fancy! Try AP-PLE/AP-PLE/STRAW/BER-RY. How about 5/4? AP-PLE/STRAW-BER-RY. Look at you! If you want to get really sophisticated, play around with where you accent the syllables to create interesting permutations.
The most dramatic of these permutations happens when you combine two different “Fruit Loops” simultaneously. To do this, start by dividing the group in half. Ask one half to say the word “Watermelon” rhythmically and clearly. Then, invite them to hit their drum on “WA” and their thighs on the other three syllables. This creates a simple 4/4 pulse. Then, invite the second half to do the same, but with “Strawberry”. They will hit their drum on “STRAW” and their thighs on the other two beats, creating a pulse in three. Now both pulses are happening at the same time. If each half can commit to their pulse and not adjust to what is happening around them an incredible groove begins to emerge. The accented beats will synchronize with each other every four cycles through the individual patterns, creating what I like to call a “Big One”. Have the players shout their first syllable out loud as loudly as they can when that “Big One” comes around. Then, their pulses slowly separate and converge again. If the group becomes comfortable with this polyrhythm, invite them to add their own ideas into the mix, while still maintaining the “Big One”. If you can get your players to that point, the improvisation that can result is astounding!
One thrilling aspect of this polyrhythmic exercise is the way it pushes the mental capacity of the players in really profound ways. They must essentially tune out what the rest of the group is playing in order to maintain their pulse. And yet, at the same time, they have to take a kind of helicopter view of the overall groove so that they can keep their focus on creating the resultant polyrhythm. In other words, they have to listen and not listen at the same time!
You could also vary this exercise by doing with everyone standing in a circle. Divide the circle into two halves, and invite each half to say their fruit word – “watermelon” or “strawberry”. Instead of hitting a drum on the first syllable of their given word, each person jumps and lands with a big stomp on the down beat of that first syllable. This is a much more physical, embodied version of the exercise that can really wake the group up.