How to play 3 against 4 (and 4 against 3)
By Asztalos Levente Updated 3 min read
3 against 4 fits three evenly spaced notes into the time of four. Count twelve: the three falls on 1, 5 and 9, the four on 1, 4, 7 and 10, so together they sound on 1, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10. Feel the three as the beat instead, and the same rhythm becomes 4 against 3.
Three against four is the natural next step after 3 against 2. It has more going on, but the method is exactly the same: find a grid both layers fit on, learn the combined rhythm, then split it between your hands.
Count it in twelve
The smallest number both 3 and 4 divide into is 12, so count the cycle as twelve equal counts. The three lands on every fourth count, the four on every third.
| Count | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The three | ● | ● | ● | |||||||||
| The four | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||||||||
| Together | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
Played together, the layers sound on 1, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10. Counting to twelve at speed is hard, so treat the grid as a way to check yourself, not as something to count during performance.
Say it: “pass the golden butter”
The phrase “pass the golden butter” has the right shape: “pass” on 1, “the” on 4, “gol-” on 5, “-den” on 7, “but-” on 9 and “-ter” on 10. Say it at a steady speed until the long and short gaps feel natural.
3 over 4 or 4 over 3?
The combined rhythm is the same either way. What changes is the beat you feel:
- 3 against 4: the four is the beat. Three evenly spaced notes across four beats are half-note triplets.
- 4 against 3: the three is the beat. Four evenly spaced notes across three beats are dotted eighth notes: in 3/4, they land on beat 1, the last sixteenth of beat 1, the “and” of beat 2 and the second sixteenth of beat 3.
Seeing both versions in notation makes it much easier to recognize the polyrhythm in written music.
Step by step with two hands
- Tap the four on your left knee, counting twelve. Taps fall on 1, 4, 7 and 10.
- Tap the three on your right knee. Taps fall on 1, 5 and 9.
- Put them together slowly, saying “pass the golden butter”.
- Swap hands.
- Switch your attention so the three becomes the beat, and keep the rhythm unchanged.
Practice it with a metronome
Pick a slow tempo for the beat layer and let a metronome play both layers with different sounds. Once you can stay with it, mute one layer and keep it going yourself. The polyrhythm trainer on this site plays 3:4 and 4:3 in your browser. In the MetronomeLab app, open the Polynomes tab and set the Ratio to 4:3 for 3 against 4, or 3:4 for 4 against 3, because the app lists the beats first. Ratios up to 5:5 are free, so both are included; the rotating circle shows where the two layers meet.
When this feels comfortable, try 5 against 4.
Try it: 3:4
BPM is the speed of the 4-beat layer, the pulse you would tap your foot to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 3:4 and 4:3?
The combined rhythm is identical. In 3:4 you feel the four as the beat and lay three notes over it; in 4:3 you feel the three as the beat and lay four notes over it. Which one a piece of music uses depends on which layer carries the pulse.
Is 4 against 3 harder than 3 against 2?
Yes. The grid has twelve counts instead of six, and the combined rhythm has six notes instead of four, so there is more to keep even. Learn 3 against 2 first.
Where is 4 against 3 used?
It is common in piano music, where the hands often split the two layers; Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu is the best known example. Drummers use 3 over 4 for fills and grooves that seem to float across the bar line.
