Hey Satch, I've just got myself a ticket for your concert and I look forward to seeing you and the band in Brussels next Tuesday (can't wait).

Can I make a wish in the meantime ? I wonder what a guitar player like you, who likes to experiment a lot, thinks of asymmetrical time signatures. I wonder if you are not tempted to jiggle with those a little bit. I'd really love to hear you do that.

As a Bulgarian of course I'm biased and I like irregular timings a lot because Bulgarian folklore music, which is harmonically quite simple, makes up for that with a large variety of complicated rythms and time signatures (in addition to all the vocal wizzardry, but that's another story). I'm not expecting you to simply immitate Bulgarian folklore or anything of the kind, but if you could just listen to some of the stuff below, use it as some sort of exotic spice and then make out of it a whole new dish of you own, I'd be absolutely delighted to hear/eat it and I'd take it as a birthday gift, if you don't mind.

Here's a short guide to some of the twisted rythms that I'm familiar with :

SOME SIMPLER STYLES :

7/8 (Rachenitza) Beat-counting : 1. Short 2. Short 3. Long (one-two-threee)

Traditional Sample : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aha1W_wJl2M

9/8 (Daychovo Horo) Beat-counting : 1. Short 2. Short 3.Short 4. Long (one-two-three-fooour)

Traditional Sample : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd77UZnteUM

AND THE REAL JAZZ ....

11/16 (Kopanitsa) Beat-counting : 1. Short 2. Short 3. Long 4. Short 5. Short (one-two-threee-four five)

Traditional Sample : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOGzAWtmDtE

Jazzy sample : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28lUsDquJ70

Rock sample : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOMv1e3grkM

15/16 (Buchimish) Beat-counting : 1. Short 2. Short 3. Short 4. Short 5. Long 6. Short 7. Short (one-two-three-four fiiiive-six-seven)

Traditional Sample : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk3JDozratQ