Your style of learning can change. Like you, I used to be very driven by notation and counting beats… I had a music theory background, so that way of learning made the most sense to me.

But over time, that changed. Partially because of increased familiarity with the rhythms, and partially because the rhythms of the variations I was learning were far too complicated to write down easily and accurately.

Nowadays I remember stuff by “hearing the shape” of the rhythm… and I bet you’ll reach the point where you can do that too

To Xixarro: I know what you mean!!! Sometimes it feels like I spend so much time reading about things I have none left to actually put what I read into practice. Once one of my capoeira teachers said how he wanted to go on sites like capoeira.com and yell at all the “frequent users” on the forums for spending so much time talking about capoeira on forums instead of getting away from their computers and training capoeira.

To Chan: You’re welcome Wow (about the African drum rhythm learning), really? Two years of saying “right left right right” and/or “edge edge middle edge” before actually touching a drum? That’s pretty incredible…although technically I guess you could still practice the physical movements on any flat surface—it wouldn’t be like having to play an “air berimbau” for two years before touching a real one. XD

Yeah, it is a good site/blog though.