Vryjdfkk

I'm trying to learn to count 3 groups of 17.

For example, for 2 groups of 11, I came up with:

1-apple-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away  

2-apple(s)-a-day-keep-the-doctor-away

What's something similar that I can use for 3 groups of 17? Like:

1-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da

2-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da

3-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da-da-Da

Thanks.

If this feels like 4/4 time with an extra beat tagged on at the end, then I would count each measure as:

1-ee-and-uh-2-ee-and-uh-3-ee-and-uh-4-ee-and-uh-5`

If you want the pattern to count up and don't need to worry about accenting a particular beat, I would recommend this:

1-ee-and-uh-IS-ee-and-uh-SEV-ee-and-uh-EN-ee-and-uh-TEEN`

2-ee-and-uh-IS-ee-and-uh-SEV-ee-and-uh-EN-ee-and-uh-TEEN`

3-ee-and-uh-IS-ee-and-uh-SEV-ee-and-uh-EN-ee-and-uh-TEEN`

Then, internalize the "ee-and-uh"s so that you don't have to count them out loud. This leaves you with:

1 / / / IS / / / SEV / / / EN / / / TEEN`

2 / / / IS / / / SEV / / / EN / / / TEEN`

3 / / / IS / / / SEV / / / EN / / / TEEN`

If you were to learn this method, it would be easier because you'll only have to count 5 beats, and the rest you will be able to simply feel intuitively.

Another value of this pattern is that, if you are learning to count/feel lots of different odd meters, then you can easily remember which one is 17/8 versus, e.g., 15/8.

If you want the 17 beats in groupings of 3 (so that every third beat is a strong beat), then you could use:

1-and-uh-THIS-and-uh-IS-and-uh-SEV-and-uh-EN-and-uh-TEEN-OH

2-and-uh-THIS-and-uh-IS-and-uh-SEV-and-uh-EN-and-uh-TEEN-OH

3-and-uh-THIS-and-uh-IS-and-uh-SEV-and-uh-EN-and-uh-TEEN-OH

Once you internalize the weak beats (the "and-uh"s), you can count it more easily like this:

1 / / THIS / / IS / / SEV / / EN / / TEEN OH

2 / / THIS / / IS / / SEV / / EN / / TEEN OH

3 / / THIS / / IS / / SEV / / EN / / TEEN OH

What is some-thing sim-il-ar that would fit for three groups of sev-en-teen.

Take a look at poetry written in a 17-syllable meter, for instance:

1    2   3     4  5   6    7  8    9    10 11 12     13  14  15    16  17

Thís is the | fórest pri | méval, the | múrmuring | píne and the | hémlocks

• (Introduction to Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie Henry Wadsworth
  Longfellow, 1807 - 1882)

Then for a 1,2,3 pattern, craft your 5 Dactyls (triplets) and the final Trochee (duplet).

1 pretty kitty   eats meat in the morning along with some salmon.

2 pretty kitties eat  meat in the morning along with some salmon.

3 pretty kitties eat  meat in the morning along with some salmon.

Assuming captial 'Da' is the stress. It's duple and 16+1.

But, a meter like 17/8 seems to obscure the very regular stress given except for the last group.

It seems a mix of 2/4 and 5/8 meters makes the clearest break down of beats and stresses.

2/4 1 + 2 + | 1 + 2 + | 1 + 2 + | 5/8 1 + 2 + a

I'm seeing this as a subdivision of 2 rather than 4. So instead of treating 'Da-da-Da-da' as 1 e & a I reduce that to just Da-da twice which counts as 1 + 2 +. If you had written something like Da-da-ti-da or otherwise differentiated the 1st and 3rd events, then a subdivision of 4 would have been appropriate.

I don't see how the various mnemonics suggested in other answers are supposed to help.

If it's put into meters that reflect your stress pattern, it's not overly complicated, and a mnemonic becomes necessary. Personally, I feel the mnemonic seems to obscure the pattern.

If a mnemonic is really desired, wouldn't it make sense to pick parts of speech to reflect the beat divisions?...

up and down and

left and right and

in and out and

there and back a-gain

... that a pattern of 4 + 4 + 4 + 5 = 17 eighth notes.