In this lesson, we’re going to examine the use of seven-note groupings. The seven-note group is different to most solo rhythms, as it can’t be evenly divided. There are a number of ways to groups the notes within the seven, but they are always uneven. Common subdivisions are 4+3 and 3+4.
Example 1 shows these subdivisions in both 7/4 and 7/8 time signatures – the only difference being the length of the basic unit of the pulse. Then we’ll look at a riffy melodic line over a last 7/4 groove. Within the 7/4 groove if we play eighth notes, there are many different ways to groups the notes – some of the bars of this line suggest a 3+4 beat grouping and others seem to want to reverse it - this is a common feature in both prog rock and fusion.
