Chapter 2: Rhythm and Meter

+ Other Definitions +

Upbeat: Last beat of a measure, weak beat that anticipates the down beat

Rhythm

• what moves music forward in time

• Beat

  • basic unit of rhythm, a regular pulse

  • Stronger beat = accented beats (emphasis on a beat)

    • In western music, strong beats occur regularly

Meter

• organizing patterns (organizes flow of rhythm)

• Marked off in measures (bars) organizes the beats (basic units) in music

• 1st beat usually has the strongest accent

• measures are designate with measure bar lines (vertical lines on a staff that separates measures or bars)

Downbeat

• What measures often begin with

• the first accented beat of a pattern

• Will be the strongest in any meter

• refers to the downward stroke of a conductors hand

Metrical Patterns - Simple Meters

• duple

  • most basic pattern

  • 2 beats in measure

  • alternates strong downbeat and weak beat

• triple

  • 3 beats in measure

  • one strong beat and two weak ones

  • associated with Dances (waltz)

• quadruple

  • 4 beats in measure

  • primary accent on the first beat, secondary accent on the third beat

  • has a broader feeling

Compound Meters

• Divide each beat into three rather than two

• most common is Sextuple meter (compound duble, 2 beats divided into three)

• marked by a gently flowing effect

• found in lullabies and nursery rhymes

Rhythmic complexes

• occur with offbeats, syncopation, and polyrhythm

Syncopation

• Most common technique

• deliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse through a temporary shifting of the accent to an off beat or weak beat

• characteristic of African American dance rhythms

• throws off regular patterns

• Offbeats = Weak beat, weak portion of the beat

• Polyrhythm = simultaneous use of several rhythmic meters, common in 20th century music and certain African music (many rhythms)

Additive Rhythms

• non western cultures create meter through this

• patterns of beats that subdivide into small irregular groups

• larger patterns built from combinations

• typical of Indian classical music

Non-metric

• Some music is non-metric

• without an identifiable meter or clear beat

• lacking a strong sense of beat

• common in non western cultures

• the beat is weak, with the music

The Crucial Dimension in Music

• Time

• Time is the element that binds together the parts within the whole

• most fundamental element of music