Reel Rhythm Exercise
Cet exercice n'a pas encore été entièrement traduit — les instructions ci-dessous sont en anglais.
Reels are the most common tune type in Irish traditional music. They run in 4/4 time at typically 160–180 bpm, with continuous eighth notes grouped in pairs. Before you can play a reel melody at speed, you must internalise the specific lilt — the very slight emphasis on beats 1 and 3 (or sometimes 2 and 4) that separates a musical reel from a mechanical one. This exercise uses a single note to let you focus entirely on rhythm.
Instructions pas à pas
- 1
Set a metronome to 80 bpm. Play low D eight times consecutively, one per beat (so you are playing eighth notes against a pulse of 80). Tongue each note with 'tu'.
- 2
Now add very slight emphasis to beats 1 and 5 of each group of eight. Tongue more firmly ('TU') on these beats, softly ('tu') on the others.
- 3
Gradually increase the metronome speed: 90, 100, 110, 120. Keep the accent pattern consistent.
- 4
Switch from tonguing to cuts on the unaccented beats, keeping the 'TU' tongue on beats 1 and 5.
- 5
Now move through a simple two-note alternation (D-E-D-E) with the same rhythm and accent pattern.
Conseils de pratique
- Listen to at least five minutes of traditional reel recordings before this exercise. The rhythm lives in your ears before it lives in your fingers.
- The classic 'reel feel' comes from very slight elongation of the first of each pair of eighth notes — not a triplet feel, but not perfectly metronomic either.
- Feet tapping, head nodding, or swaying all help internalize the groove before playing.
Prêt à l'appliquer dans un vrai morceau ?
La technique ne s'ancre que lorsque vous l'utilisez en musique. Parcourez la bibliothèque de tablatures pour trouver un morceau qui vous permettra de pratiquer ce que vous venez d'apprendre.