AP Music Theory Elements: Rhythm

Rhythm  General term used to refer to the aspect of music  Durational Symbols:  Breve – Double Whole Note/rest – 8 cts  Whole note/rest – 4 cts  Quarter note/rest – 1 ct  Eighth note/rest – ½ ct  Sixteenth note/rest – ¼ ct

Symbols

Rhythm Tree

Ties  A tie connects two notesof the same pitch creating a new duration equal to the sum of both notes

Dots  A dot adds ½ the value of the note to the note itself.

Beat and Tempo  Beat – Basic Pulse of a musical passage  Tempo – the rate at which the beats occur  Italian Terms – gives relative description of the tempo  M.M. – Maelzel’s Metronome – precise beats in one minute

Meter  The Pattern of Beats  Measure – groups of beats indicated by the bar line  Number of beats in a measure is indicated by these terms  Duple – 2  Triple – 3  Quadruple – 4  Metric Accents – pattern of stresses found in a meter

Division of the Beat  Simple – beats divided into 2 equal parts  Compound – beats divided into 3 equal parts

Simple Time Signatures  Time signatures – tells the performer two things  How many beats are in a measure  What note value represents the beat  2 = half note  4 = quarter note  8 = eighth note  16 = sixteenth note

Compound Meter  Division of the beat  Dotted half note = 3 quarter notes  Dotted quarter note = 3 eighth notes  Dotted eighth note = 3 16 th notes  Dotted sixteenth note = 3 32 nd notes

Compound Meter Signatures  Tells the performer the number if divisions  Tells the performer what the division duration is

Summary of Meters  Two types of Beat – Simple and Compound  Three Common Meters – duple, triple and quadruple  Any number representing a note value can be used for any meter  You must look at the music to know exactly what it is

Meters Chart

More on Durational Symbols  When rhythms are notated, it is customary to use rests, beams, ties and dots in such a way that the metric accent and the individual beats are emphasized rather than observed

Syncopation  Rhythm figures that stress normally weak beats or divisions

Grouplets  Division of an undotted value into some number of equal parts other than 2, 4, or 8

Beams  Used to connect durations shorter than a quarter note  Rule for above or below:  Decided based on the note that is the furthest from the middle line

Stems  General rules  Middle line and above – stem goes down on left side of the note  Below the middle line – stem goes up on right side of note head