Tool’s “Lateralus”: feel the 9 + 8 + 7 cycle
Practise the changing meter in “Lateralus” as three groups of eighth notes: 9, then 8, then 7. Count the group starts aloud before trying to play the riff.
Adam Jones has described parts of the main riff as 9, 8 and 7. Those bar lengths change in sequence; they are not a simultaneous polyrhythm. The exercise below turns the changing-length idea into a plain click you can build and repeat. It is not a note-for-note transcription of the recording.
The count
One loop has 24 equal eighth-note clicks. The colored first click starts each group. Say: 1 to 9 · 1 to 8 · 1 to 7.
Eighth-note pulses
Tap a block to change its accent. The full pattern repeats when it reaches the end.
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
- Open More options (the three-dot menu), choose “Write a Pattern…”, type 9-8-7, then tap “Create Pattern.” This makes 24 pulses, with accents on the first pulse of each group. Turn off any second rhythm left from an earlier pattern.
- From More options, open “View Rhythm Chart.” Set “Pulse value” to eighth notes (♪), so each grid pulse represents an eighth note. Keep the tempo low enough to say every number without rushing.
- Press play. The accents land on pulses 1, 10 and 18. Save the pattern if you want to return to it.
Practise it in stages
Phase 1
Hear the turns
Listen to the loop and say only “nine, eight, seven” at each accented group start. Let the quieter clicks carry the spaces between.
Move on when: You can predict each accent before it sounds.
Phase 2
Build the change in pieces
In Write a Pattern, practise 9 alone, then 9-8, then return to 9-8-7. Count each group over the click. These shorter loops are preparation, not a claim about the song’s arrangement.
Move on when: You can finish three full 9-8-7 cycles without adding or losing an eighth note.
Phase 3
Keep the starts without the screen
Look away from the grid. Clap or play only the first pulse of each group while the loop continues. For another challenge, turn on Rhythm Training at Low and let it mute some clicks.
Move on when: You land on the next 9 without a last-second correction.
Phase 4
Return to the recording
Listen to Tool’s recording again. Find the 9, 8, 7 contraction by ear, then return to your click loop whenever the next group start becomes hard to predict.
Move on when: You can find the three group lengths in the song without relying on the diagram.
What this exercise leaves out
This is a 9 + 8 + 7 counting exercise inspired by the song’s changing meter. The recording contains performance detail this bare click cannot teach. Listen to the song itself when you are ready to work out phrasing and articulation.
Listen: Listen to “Lateralus”.
Sources: Adam Jones on the 9, 8 and 7 riff (Revolver); Drumeo on the 9/8, 8/8 and 7/8 sequence.
Build the count. Then play it.
Start slowly, save the loop, and return to it when the group changes stop surprising you.
