Rhythm

Rhythm

• aspects of music having to do with the duration of the notes in Time

• When listening to music, many aspects of music we perceive are rhythmic in nature. These can be grouped into

  • Beat

  • Tempo

  • Quality

Beat

• A Beat is the basic unit of pulse in music

• The basic premise of western Art music (with regard to rhythm) is that rhythms are all contingent on having an underlying Beat or “pulse” in the music.

• beat is divisible

Organizing Beats

• Music is written with regular vertical lines demarking “bars” or groups of beats

• The number of beats per bar is user determined, and identified to the reader by using a “time signature

  • make longer notes: Several beats can be added together to make notes of longer lengths. We might perceive these as “slower notes”

  • make shorter notes: Single beats can be divided (and sub-divided, and sub-sub-divided, and sub-sub-sub- divided, etc.) into notes of shorter lengths. We would perceive these as faster notes. Notes of various lengths give us the surface rhythm

Meter

• tell us how many beats per bar

• shows how not all beats are equal

• example below shows how the 2nd one will always be weaker than the first

Types of Meters

Syncopation

• Syncopation occurs when a piece of music emphasizes unexpected beats in the measure. Instead of the regular, predictable beats that form the backbone of the rhythm, syncopated notes are thrust into the spotlight, creating a dynamic and often surprising musical experience