Duration

The Basics Duration refers to the lengths of sounds and silences in music and includes the aspects of beat, rhythm, tempo, pulse rates and absence of pulse. Beat: the underlying pulse in music. Rhythm: patterns of long and short sounds and silences found in music. Tempo: the speed of the beat. Music may be fast or slow and may become faster or slower. Metre: the grouping of the beats. Beats can be grouped in any combination, with any type of beat.

Terminology Syncopation: Playing notes/rhythms off the main beat. Rubato: Free timing, play with your own sense of time. Rhythmic ostinato: A rhythmic pattern played over and over again. Polyrhythm: A melodic sequence that makes use of two or more different rhythms at once. Cross rhythm: A rhythm in which the regular rhythmic pattern/beat is contradicted by a conflicting pattern/beat Hemiola: When three beats of equal value in the time normally occupied by two beats. Simple time: Musical rhythm or meter in which each beat in a measure can be subdivided simply into halves or quarters. Compound time: Musical rhythm or meter in which each beat in a bar is subdivided into three smaller units (dotted notes).

Time Signatures

Tempo Terminology Adagio: Slowly Allegro: Lively and fast Andante: At an easy walking pace Grave: Very slow Larghetto: Rather broadly Largo: Broadly Lento: Slowly Moderato: At moderate speed Presto: Very fast Prestissimo: Very fast Vivace: Lively and spirited Vivo: Lively and vivacious A tempo: Return to former tempo Accelerando: Gradually become faster L’istesso tempo: At the same speed even though changed time signature Meno mosso: Less speed Piu mosso: More speed