Test of the Boomerang
My friend VB enlightened me about how Mickey Hart was inspired by the Tabla maestro Alla Rakha and created the rhythm patterns of the Dead track Eleven (this is in 11/8 time, mostly played as three beats of three followed by a beat of two - but with all sorts of variations played against each other). I did some googling to investigate more on how Hart was introduced to Alla Rakha and what he learned from the meetings. What I found is that Dead was doing some show in NYC area and the same time, Ravi Shankar was playing in long island, accompanied by Alla Rakha. Knowing this, Hart went to the concert and was introduced by an acquaintance to Alla Rakha in the backstage.
What follows next is an excerpt by Mickey Hart.
Learning that I (Hart) was a drummer, Alla Rakha invited me back to his hotel room for tea. I brought my pad and sticks with me, and I also happened to bring along a curious little device known as a tri-nome. A tri-nome is a metronome that can keep track of three rhythmic cycles. Each cycle has a different sound. You can set it so the three beats will all weave in and out of each other, circling around in endless loops, and every time the loops intersect with each other a bell will bong, indicating what is known as "the One."
The One—the alpha and the omega, the end and the beginning of the rhythmic cycle.
Alla Rakha was amused by the tri-nome. Picking up my pad, he began to demonstrate a rhythm game to me. He beat out a count to ten and then called out a number, which I then tried to place on top of his next ten beats. For instance, when he called "twelve," I tried to lay twelve beats down within the span of his ten, so that his last beat and my last beat would meet—at the One.
With this simple game, Alla Rakha destroyed my beliefs about rhythm. Rhythm was just time, I realized, and time could be carved up any way you wanted.
We did eleven over nine and twelve over eight and fifteen over thirteen. He showed me the obvious truth that twelve bars of eleven was the same as eleven bars of twelve.
He held onto my hand as I beat so I could feel how time was infinitely elastic. He made me feel what four felt like, then while I was doing four with my left hand, he showed me how I could put five into that four with my right hand.
Even beating on the pad with my fingers I felt it. Every time you crossed at the One, the energy shot up a little. There was a little pop! of something like adrenaline, only in your head.
I returned from that hotel room feeling as if I'd been shown the Golden Tablets.
Song of Now - Eleven (Dick's Picks - Vol 16)
This song needs the real player.
What follows next is an excerpt by Mickey Hart.
Learning that I (Hart) was a drummer, Alla Rakha invited me back to his hotel room for tea. I brought my pad and sticks with me, and I also happened to bring along a curious little device known as a tri-nome. A tri-nome is a metronome that can keep track of three rhythmic cycles. Each cycle has a different sound. You can set it so the three beats will all weave in and out of each other, circling around in endless loops, and every time the loops intersect with each other a bell will bong, indicating what is known as "the One."
The One—the alpha and the omega, the end and the beginning of the rhythmic cycle.
Alla Rakha was amused by the tri-nome. Picking up my pad, he began to demonstrate a rhythm game to me. He beat out a count to ten and then called out a number, which I then tried to place on top of his next ten beats. For instance, when he called "twelve," I tried to lay twelve beats down within the span of his ten, so that his last beat and my last beat would meet—at the One.
With this simple game, Alla Rakha destroyed my beliefs about rhythm. Rhythm was just time, I realized, and time could be carved up any way you wanted.
We did eleven over nine and twelve over eight and fifteen over thirteen. He showed me the obvious truth that twelve bars of eleven was the same as eleven bars of twelve.
He held onto my hand as I beat so I could feel how time was infinitely elastic. He made me feel what four felt like, then while I was doing four with my left hand, he showed me how I could put five into that four with my right hand.
Even beating on the pad with my fingers I felt it. Every time you crossed at the One, the energy shot up a little. There was a little pop! of something like adrenaline, only in your head.
I returned from that hotel room feeling as if I'd been shown the Golden Tablets.
Song of Now - Eleven (Dick's Picks - Vol 16)
This song needs the real player.
posted by D | 11:51 PM
7 Comments:
Great story. The Eleven is smokin'!
had no idea. loved reading through this post, gift. and am going to listen now. :)
great post. i remember writing one of those times of india "newspaper in education" articles when i was in eighth grade, on the topic of "time". i'd inserted this cool line there about how it's impossible to tap four with one hand while tapping six with the other. little had i known!
Did you hear this interview?
http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?arch=14048
It appears that Mickey first heard Alla Rakha's music when Phil played him a tape. The interview also contains some early practice sessions of "Eleven" and also a standout performance.
@VB,K,TR - glad that you guys liked it :). @VB - I am listening to the "dead to the world" now, thanks for the pointer :). Actually, Phil gave Hart a record on "drums of north and south India" or similar in title. Hart had a pair of Tablas with him before, but did not have any idea what to do with that. Listening to the record he was almost dumbfounded to understand that this is actually being played by a single guy, nor 5-6 guys as he surmised!!
hey, really enjoyed MLT (your earlier post). and this one won't download tho i have real player :(
hey S- jus' right click and save! I hope it will work.
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