Shadowing Practice: 10.1.1 Odd Time - 16th Note Meters (Theory) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hey everybody, welcome to level 10 of the Drumeo Method.
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This is where we get into all the really advanced and exciting and crazy stuff that we can do on the instrument,
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from weird odd time to crazy odd subdivisions, you name it, it's all in here.
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So you may be asking why would I want to learn something so insane?
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Well first up, in North America we're pretty stuck on 4.4 and things that are common time.
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The rest of the world isn't quite so constrained with what they listen to on a regular basis.
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Here you're going to start finding things
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that are perfectly at home on the other side of the planet while sounding completely insane over here.
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Now on top of this, as you get into these sort of more advanced rhythms and crazier ideas, it's going to help you develop your sense of time
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and it's going to make all the more ordinary stuff
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that you play just that much more convincing
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and even easy for you to do feel like a complete
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walk in the park once you can work through some of this absolute ridiculousness
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that you've signed yourself up for right here in level 10.
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This 11-16 pattern is an actual beat.
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Now the first two quarter notes worth is going to be a typical rock beat.
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You'll learn these way back in the very first level of the Drumeo method.
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The only weird thing is after that first one and two and a, now we've got three additional sixteenth notes.
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So we're going to go kick and hat and then two snare drums after that.
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So we're gonna have one, and a two, and a three, and a, and then we go right back to the beginning.
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So you can do this one of a couple ways.
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You can do it with singles as you get to those last few notes, right, left, right, but then you're gonna wanna start again with your left hand
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or keep both those snare drums with your left hand
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and your hands don't have to do anything fancy to loop the beat.
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As we've done with everything else, let's go nice and slow and then we'll play it a little bit quicker.
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One, and a two, and a three, and a.
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And a little bit quicker.
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One, and a two, and a three.
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Alright, so
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next up we're gonna be getting into 13-16.
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So similar to 11-16, this is just 13 sixteenth notes long.
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So let's see what that sounds like.
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So we've got basically three quarter notes plus a sixteenth though.
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So sounds like this.
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One E and a two E and a three E and a four.
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One E and a two E and a three E and a four one.
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So what would have been the E of four if we were continuing to count?
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That becomes beat one.
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So just like we did previous, we're gonna match that count with the snare drum
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and we're gonna put a bass drum on beat one so it's really clear where the start of that bar is.
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Your goal when you're practicing these is to make sure that beat one doesn't feel surprising.
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If while you're looping it, it's still like, oh, is beat one here?
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Maybe it kind of misses every once in a while.
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That literally just means you need to just loop this pattern until it feels comfortable where beat one is.
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One and a two and a three and a four.
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And a little bit quicker.
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One and a two and a three and a four.
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Alright, so now let's take a look at a beat in 13-16 time.
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Similar to what we did in 11-16, our first 1-e-anda, 2-e-anda is going to be just a typical rock beat.
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1-e-anda, 2-e-anda.
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And from there we're going to hit kick and hat and then four snare drums.
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This gives us our final 516th notes that makes that 1316.
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License flow looks like this.
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One E and a, two E and a, three E and a, four one E and a, two E and a, three E and a, four one.
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If you're using singles, beat one is going to come out with your left hand.
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You could use a paradiddle, throw two rights down on the snare drum and then it's going to come out normally.
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It's up to you, have fun experimenting with that.
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Let's hear what it sounds like actually on the kit.
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One, and a two, and a three, and a four.
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Now let's try it a little bit quicker.
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One, and a two, and a three, and a four.
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Alright, so on to 15, 16.
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This is one of my personal favorite odd time signatures.
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Now what this is, is this is a sixteenth note short of 4-4.
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That's our common time signature.
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So ordinarily when we count sixteenth notes we hear one E
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and a two E and a three E and a four E and a, but that uh is beat one in fifteen sixteen.
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So this is going to feel like beat one is just too early by a seedy skipped amount.
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So take these slow and again pay real close attention to that bass drum.
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Just like we did with everything else in this section so far, we're going to play full sixteenth notes on the snare drum, we're going to have a bass drum on beat one and we're going to count out loud.
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So nice and slow, let's just clap and count it.
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It sounds like this.
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One and a two and a three and three E and a, four E and one E and a, two E and a, three E and a, four E and one.
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So we're skipping the uh of beat four.
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That's gonna feel real weird for you guys and gals
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that have been counting full 16th notes in four four up until now, but now it's time to try it on the kit.
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Just like the rest of them, your sticking will reverse every other time.
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So if you start with your right, bar two is gonna be with your left.
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Let's go.
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One, two, three, four, and a...
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And a little bit quicker.
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One, two, three, four, and a...
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Alright, so now onto our beat in 1516.
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Similar to the previous two, we're going to start this out with a really ordinary rock beat.
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The only place where it's different is right at the end.
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So, beats one, two, and three, totally ordinary.
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Where it gets weird is beat four, where we've got four and uh, before we click back into beat one here.
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So for that, we're going to hit four with our hi-hats and snare drum together, and then two more snare drum notes.
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You're basically putting three sixteenth notes on the snare drum to finish this out.
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And that's a great way to think about these.
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You've got three full quarter notes and then there's three little sixteenth notes before it starts again.
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So we've got one and a two and a three
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and a four and a one and a two and a three and a one two three one.
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So you've got this little three sixteen chunk and that's what we're doing exactly in this beat on the snare drum.
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So let's hear it.
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One and a two and a three and a four and a.
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And of course, a little bit quicker.
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One and a two and a three and a four and a...
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Alright, so our last time signature that we're going to play around with in this lesson is 17-16.
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Now if you remember from 15-16 a second ago, it was 1 16th note shorter than a bar of 4-4.
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This is the opposite.
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This is going to be 1 16th note longer.
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So as we count 16th notes for a bar of 4-4, we get all the way through it, but then we we get five, one additional count at the end of it,
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and that's gonna be how long this time signature is.
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So check this out, sounds like this.
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One E and a, two E and a, three E and a, four E and a, five one E and a, two E and a, three a three,
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and a four, and a five, one.
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So just like the previous ones, we're gonna match that on the snare drum, and we're gonna put a bass drum on beat one, so that that beat one,
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again, it gives us a way to make sure that it feels really solid.
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We've gotta make sure
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that it doesn't feel surprising from player perspective for beat one
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to be where it's supposed to go in this wacky time signature of 17, 16.
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So, let's try it out.
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One and a two and a three and a four and a five.
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And now a little bit quicker.
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One, two, three, four and a five.
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Alright, so now onto a 1716 beat so we can really get used to how this time signature feels.
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Similar to our previous examples, we're going to start this out with a plain eighth note style beat, but we're going to have 316 at the end of this,
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which will start in on the and of beat four.
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So let's just kind of hear how the rhythm's going to work for this.
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We're gonna have one E and a two E and three E and a four E and a five.
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So from the end of four, we're going kick and hat, snare, snare, and then the pattern repeats.
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Just like all the previous examples, let's go nice and slow at first and then we'll pick the tempo up a little bit to a funkier pace.
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One E and a two E and a three E and a four E and a...
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And a little bit quicker.
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One and a two and a three and a four and a five.
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Alright, so now that we've made it through to the end of this lesson in 16th note odd time meters, your assignment is to play through those eight examples that we already worked on.
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Work on them nice and slow, work them up to a fast tempo, maybe even a little quicker than we took them here, if you're able to.
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But once you've got those, there's also a pile of additional examples right below this video
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that you absolutely should jump into and play around with as well.
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There's tons of fun stuff in there.
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So get to work and I'll see you inside the next lesson.
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Why Odd Time Signatures Matter for English Learners
The video dives into advanced drumming with odd time signatures like 11/16 and 13/16, but did you know this rhythm practice can boost your English speaking? Just as drummers master tricky beats to feel time better, practicing with rhythmic speech helps you internalize natural intonation and pacing. It’s a fun way to make "ordinary" English feel easier—like how those wild drum patterns make simple beats a walk in the park!
Top 5 Phrases to Practice from the Video
- "This is where we get into all the really advanced and exciting and crazy stuff." (Great for emphasizing enthusiasm!)
- "Why would I want to learn something so insane?" (A natural way to ask about purpose.)
- "The rest of the world isn't quite so constrained." (Useful for comparing cultural norms.)
- "Your goal is to make sure beat one doesn't feel surprising." (Perfect for explaining objectives.)
- "Loop this pattern until it feels comfortable." (A key tip for consistent practice.)
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for Rhythmic Speech
Shadowing—repeating audio immediately after hearing it—is a powerful tool for fluency. Here’s how to use the video for "shadowspeak" practice:
- Listen first: Watch the video once to follow the rhythm of the speech. Notice how the instructor pauses and stresses words like "insane" or "comfortable."
- Start slow: Pause after short phrases (like "One, and a two, and a three") and repeat them. Focus on matching the pace—just like the drummer starts slow! Use a shadowing app to record yourself and compare.
- Add rhythm: Clap or tap along as you repeat. This connects your speech to the beat, making it easier to remember natural intonation. A shadowing site can help you loop sections for extra practice.
- Speed up gradually: Once you’re comfortable, try repeating phrases at the video’s speed. This trains your mouth to move quickly, just like the drummer speeding up the beat.
- Focus on clarity: Even with fast speech, make sure words like "constrained" or "rhythms" are clear. Practice until your "shadow speak" sounds as natural as the instructor’s.
Remember, every time you practice, you’re not just learning English—you’re building a sense of rhythm that makes speaking feel effortless. Keep at it, and soon even tricky phrases will feel like a walk in the park!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.