Avishai Cohen’s “Eleven Wives”: two ways to feel eleven
Keep one eleven-pulse cycle steady while the accents move. Feel the groove as 3 + 4 + 4, then the piano grouping as 3 + 3 + 3 + 2. Both add to eleven and restart together.
Avishai Cohen described the groove in “Eleven Wives” as eleven eighth-note units grouped 3 + 4 + 4, with a defining piano line grouped 3 + 3 + 3 + 2. The difference is where the accents fall inside the shared span. It is not a three-against-two polyrhythm, and the two rows below are an original way to hear the grouping rather than a note-for-note transcription.
The count
Both rhythms cover the same eleven equal pulses. The orange blocks mark their group starts. Say: 3 + 4 + 4 over 3 + 3 + 3 + 2.
Rhythm 1: Eighth-note pulses · Same cycle
Tap a block to change its accent. Mute a rhythm to practise each part separately.
Stopped
The lesson pattern is loaded. Press play, change the tempo, or tap a block to change its accent. Reset brings back the lesson setup.
Set it up in AnyBeat
- First try each row on its own with the free pattern builder. In More options, choose “Write a Pattern…”. Type 3-4-4, tap “Create Pattern”, and listen. Then replace it with 3-3-3-2 and listen for the changed accents.
- For both rows together, AnyBeat Pro is needed. In “Write a Pattern…”, type 3-4-4:3-3-3-2 and tap “Create Pattern.” Both rhythms contain eleven pulses; keep Rhythm 2 on “Same cycle” so their starts stay together.
- In More options > “View Rhythm Chart”, set “Pulse value” to eighth notes (♪). Play slowly and follow one row at a time before listening to both.
Practise it in stages
Phase 1
Find the first eleven
Play 3-4-4 alone. Say each group length on its accented start while the eighth-note clicks stay even.
Move on when: You can hear the 3 + 4 + 4 accents without counting all eleven pulses aloud.
Phase 2
Move the accents
Change the pattern to 3-3-3-2. The loop is still eleven pulses long, but the third and fourth group starts land in new places.
Move on when: You can switch between the two groupings without changing the loop length.
Phase 3
Hold both maps
Create the two-row pattern. Follow Rhythm 1 for a cycle, then Rhythm 2, then listen to the accents together. The shared first click is your anchor.
Move on when: You can tap the group starts of either row while both rows play.
Phase 4
Return to the trio
Listen to the authorized recording and look for the groove and piano’s different ways of grouping eleven. Use the bare click again if the accents blur.
Move on when: You can hear the shared cycle beneath the shifting accent pattern.
What this exercise leaves out
The two AnyBeat rows click on every eighth pulse and accent our simplified group starts. They do not reproduce Cohen’s piano notes, bass line, drum orchestration or a particular recording timestamp. Some scores may use a different notated beat unit; this exercise follows Cohen’s own eleven-unit description.
Listen: Listen to “Eleven Wives”.
Sources: Cohen’s explanation of the two groupings, cited by Edith Cowan University; Avishai Cohen’s authorized Eleven Wives chart.
Build the count. Then play it.
Start slowly, save the loop, and return to it when the group changes stop surprising you.
