1)the arrangement of time in music Rhythm 1)the arrangement of time in music 2) a combination of long and short sounds that conveys a sense of movement
“As a species, we love to play with rhythm “As a species, we love to play with rhythm. We deal with it every second of our lives, right to the end.” -Mickey Hart, percussionist (b. 1943)
Rhythm Beat: basic rhythmic pulse of a musical piece Accent: strong beat -achieved through stress, duration or position -In pop music, what instruments usually provide accents?
Example of Accents in Pop Songs: 1. “Clocks” Coldplay 2. “Halo” Beyonce 3. “Boom Boom Pow” Black Eyed Peas 4. “Under Pressure” David Bowie
Tempo: rate of speed at which a piece is performed Accelerando: gradual increase in tempo Example: “We both reached for the gun” from Chicago Metronome: an instrument that may be set to sound regular beats within a wide range of speeds
Meter Meter: organization of rhythm into patterns of strong and weak beats Measure (bar): unit containing a number of beats -usually first beat of the measure is accented -duple (2 beats per measure), triple (3 beats per measure) and quadruple (4 beats per measure) are most common
Listening: Piano Battle It is being performed at a very fast tempo (molto vivace). It contains examples of crescendo and accelerando and is in duple meter.
Conducting Patterns Downbeat: first beat of the measure; when the conductor’s hand goes down Upbeat: last beat of the measure; when the conductor’s hand goes up, bringing it into position to give the downbeat for the next measure
Examples of Popular Songs in Various Meters: Duple (or Quadruple) - Row, Row, Row your Boat -Coldplay “Viva la Vida” - Beyonce “Halo” - Kings of Leon “Use Somebody” Triple - Happy Birthday - The Star Spangled Banner -Alicia Keys “If I Ain’t Got You” -Billy Joel “Piano Man” - Coldplay “Sparks” - John Mayer “Gravity”
Syncopation: occurrence of accent on a weak beat or in between beats -Example: Coldplay “Viva la Vida”
Rhythm Review Meter Measures Duple, Triple, Quadruple Beat Downbeat, Upbeat Accent Syncopation