mus220 Musical Terms 1

Changing Sounds

• Sounds can be altered in four primary ways:

  • Time (Duration): Changes to how long a sound lasts.

  • Pitch: Adjustments to the highness or lowness of the sound.

  • Timbre: The quality or color of the sound.

  • Dynamics: Variations in loudness or softness.

• Additional Methods: Combining sounds either over time or simultaneously.

Time and Duration

• Two aspects to understand about time:

  • Rhythmic Determination: Refers to the level of predictability in a rhythm.

  • Tempo: The speed at which the rhythmic pattern is played.

Levels of Rhythmic Determination (Slide 5)

• Different levels from completely undetermined to highly structured:

  • Free Meter: Random rhythm, no predictability.

  • Pulsatile Meter: Some predictability of beats, but unsure when accents will occur.

  • Meter: Completely predictable patterns of accents (two subtypes: divisive and additive).

Free Meter

• Defined by randomness; little to no predictability in rhythmic flow.

• Examples: Sounds where you cannot tap along to the rhythm.

Pulsatile Music

• Beats are equally spaced, establishing predictability in pulse (like a shot clock).

• You know when the beat will occur, even if you can’t predict when accents will happen.

Meter

• Defined as a recurring pattern of accented and unaccented beats; typically predictable.

• It can be divided into:

  • Divisive Meter: Beats can be grouped into even divisions (e.g., Duple and Triple meters).

    • Duple Meter: Groups typically contain two beats (e.g., 2, 4, or 6).

    • Triple Meter: Groups contain three beats (e.g., 3).

  • Additive Meter: Combinations of smaller groups that are not symmetrically divisible.

    • Example: Grouping beats into combinations of two and three (e.g., 2-3 grouping).

Syncopation

• Common in popular music; establishes a rhythmic complexity that avoids monotony.

• Accents are placed on unexpected beats, enriching the musical texture.

• Particularly relevant in duple meter music (like 4/4 time).

Polyrhythm

• Multiple meters or rhythms occur simultaneously, resulting in a complex interplay of accents.

• This creates a layered rhythmic feel, combining different meters into a cohesive unit.

Tempo

• Defined as the pace of music, measured in beats per minute (BPM).

• Tempo can be independent of meter; the same meter can be played at varying speeds.

• Counting BPM: Count the number of taps in a set time, then multiply based on the time frame observed to find BPM (e.g., 15 seconds multiplied by 4 for a per minute count).