The purpose of this metronome is to eventually eliminate the need for itself. The goal, of course, is to master the exercises without the help of an electronic aid. Until then, this tool may offer some support. Please keep in mind, however, that the primary function of the k-metronome is to facilitate the application of Karnatic (South Indian) rhythmic principles to Western music.
# Features
- Tuplets, or pulse divisions (gati or nadai), ranging from 2 to 13
- Tuplet phrasing (tuplet randomisation to help ultimately master the rhythm pyramid)
- Tuplet groupings or accents applied to tuplets (jathis)
- Fade feature to practise groupings or advanced polyrhythmic chains
- Nested tuplets
- Flexible user sequence design based on numbers, paving the way for various creative approaches to - practice
- Polyrhythm chains, e.g. 4:5, 5:3, 20:3
- Video tutorials and how-tos
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Presets can be stored locally, exported and shared
Please note that any parameter changes will take effect on the next beat. Combined with keyboard shortcuts, this feature offers great flexibility for interactive practice, distinguishing it from other metronome apps.
This practice tool aims to be helpful for students of the "Applications of Karnatic (South Indian) Rhythm to Western Music" programme at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. It may also inspire other musicians who want to explore the intricate world of rhythm and enhance their skills through the solid methodology laid out in Rafael Reina’s book Applying Karnatic Rhythmical Techniques to Western Music (Routledge, 2015).
Of course, the primary credit goes to the incredibly rich karnatic and Hindustani traditions and to the brilliant musicians who have shaped this unique musical art form. One of the most outstanding mridangam players and konnakol artists of his generation is B. C. Manjunath. He is also well known for his contributions to the worlds of jazz and contemporary music, for example through his work with Aka Moon, Riccardo Nova, and many others.
At its core, k-metronome is designed from a Western pedagogical perspective, while drawing deeply on Karnatic rhythmic principles.
