Terms
pulse
? recurring wave of energy
beat
? specific part of a measure. E.g. a waltz has the accent on the first
beat
subdivision?
subunits which make up each beat
downbeat
primary accented pulse
upbeat
? secondary pulse of energy, not the downbeat
measure/bar
? metrical unit from one primary accent to the next
barline
? mark which indicates end of bar
meter/time
signature
? math name of rhythmic organization, expressed as ratio
rest
? silence which is metered
note
values
objects in notation language which depict duration
staff
? graphic ledger on which music is placed
Rhythm
is strongly connected with movement in the everyday world. The kinds of
rhythm that we encounter most often include: waves, heart beats, breathing,
and speech patterns. In general, we notice rhythm when it occurs regularly
and in time. This is pulse.
Poetry is often advanced as a good example of musical speech rhythm; certainly
it is patterned. There are names for each of the patterns of stress, e.g.
spondee, trochee and iamb. In music, the rhythm has become much more systematized
or structured. The idea that everything is either twos or threes or some
combination is the over arching principle in this discussion.(See
Otto Karolyiís Introducing Music)
There
are two worlds of rhythm ? simple (duple subdivision) and compound (triple
subdivision).
I)Meters
- are the organization of music: top is how many beats per measure; bottom
is what note value gets 1 beat. E.g.s, 4/4, 3/4. 2/2, 6/8, 6/4, 9/8
A)Simple
Meter
is rhythm that is based on twos, i.e., all notes can be divided into two
in the simple meter. This is the most common subdivision. Some examples
of simple meter are: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, 5/4, 5/16, 7/2 etc.
B)
Note values (pic), all of these are proportional, i.e., a half note is
half a whole note and a sixteenth is half an eighth note.
Whole
note [whole measure in 4 / 4 = 4 beats]
Half
note [half measure in 4 / 4 = 2 beats]
Quarter
note [1 / 4 measure in 4 / 4] = 1 beat
Eighth
note [1 / 8th measure in 4 / 41 = 1 / 2 beat
Sixteenth
note [1 / 16th measure in 4 / 4] = 1 / 4 beat
*A
dot adds half the value of the note it appends.
*A
tie links the values of two notes together. These two notational ornaments
are often used interchangeably.
C)
Anatomy of a measure/bar
Measure
or bar
is a unit of time proscribed by the meter. Meter
is the rhythmic organization of the music. It tells us how the rhythm is
going to go by our ears. The oom-pah pah of a waltz is 3/4 time.
D)
Compound meter
- rhythms that have a subdivision two and one of three below that. They
have a primary and secondary subdivision! If the top number in the meter
is divisible by three it is probably a compound meter. These meters have
a lilting three subdivision underneath the primary pulses. Examples of
these meters are: 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, 9/16, 21/8 etc.
