This seems WAY too niche for it to either be an unpopular or popular opinion. An unpopular opinion needs to be more accesible to most people than this.
So I'm going to assume that polyrhythms are something that you have been over exposed to. Which is understandable. There are a lot of people who have been exposed to music theory relatively recently thanks to the internet, and are now coming across techniques that seem novel. Polyrhythms being one example. They're easy to understand, trivial to implement digitally, and sound exotic. And so people experiment, which rarely creates something compelling, though that's besides the point. It's more that they are one more in a line of techniques to expand someone's musical vocabulary.
If a composition was rhythmically exclusively a polyrhythm (e.g. an unvarying 4:5), then i would agree that it is necessarily not very complex. But of course an uninspired use of polyrhythms is uninspired - that's a tautology. However, it would be (necessarily) more complex than 4/4 or 4/5 in isolation. One could easily make the same argument that odd time signatures or tuplets are more overrated, as they are more common, and an entire piece composed purely of one of these techniques would be similarly "monotonous". Most of your points seem to be arguments against a lack of imagination in realising a technique, rather than an argument against the technique itself.
I'm a professional drummer and educator and could not agree more. They do sound cool given the right context, but generally there are better things to focus time and energy on.
As a music geek, I appreciate this lol
I absolutely love hearing about drama in niche disciplines.
Based.
polyriddim
That song is about nested tuplets, the polyrhythm is just the result.
polyriddim
smoke on the water doesn't have smoke nor water.
not that song 💀
Yes that exact song. The masterpiece of this century.
Imo, it's fugues. I love fugues, I wish there were more of them. But the way some people speak about and over analyze them is atrocious
Listen to Tool
Why is everyone talking about Tool?
They use them, but it's not a King Crimson and polymeters situation.
I love Tool, but Tool also totally proves his point about the music not being nearly as complex as they make it sound.
Sure, throw in Gamelan tuning, just C (non tempered) and "microtones" while you're at it.
Found the King Gizzard fan!
This seems WAY too niche for it to either be an unpopular or popular opinion. An unpopular opinion needs to be more accesible to most people than this.
Ever listened to Tool?
Yes.
Watch Tomas Haake from Meshuggah perform "Bleed"
Polymeter not polyrhythm.
So I'm going to assume that polyrhythms are something that you have been over exposed to. Which is understandable. There are a lot of people who have been exposed to music theory relatively recently thanks to the internet, and are now coming across techniques that seem novel. Polyrhythms being one example. They're easy to understand, trivial to implement digitally, and sound exotic. And so people experiment, which rarely creates something compelling, though that's besides the point. It's more that they are one more in a line of techniques to expand someone's musical vocabulary.
If a composition was rhythmically exclusively a polyrhythm (e.g. an unvarying 4:5), then i would agree that it is necessarily not very complex. But of course an uninspired use of polyrhythms is uninspired - that's a tautology. However, it would be (necessarily) more complex than 4/4 or 4/5 in isolation. One could easily make the same argument that odd time signatures or tuplets are more overrated, as they are more common, and an entire piece composed purely of one of these techniques would be similarly "monotonous". Most of your points seem to be arguments against a lack of imagination in realising a technique, rather than an argument against the technique itself.
Bold statement to make, when you only know about western music.
Bold statement to make, when you assume things.
Polyrhythm is a main component of Latin-caribean music ( like salsa) and African music.
"Things I'm not capable of are overrated."
Someone needs to start listening to Tool.
Can't forget meshuggah
Tool fans disagree brother
I'll just take your word on it...
Is fioana apples "hot knife" an example of this? What are examples?
OP needs some Car Bomb in his life right about now me thinks…
I'm a professional drummer and educator and could not agree more. They do sound cool given the right context, but generally there are better things to focus time and energy on.
Pass the goddamn butter
Delay pedal, done.