RHYTHM

Just like sound (from the 1st chapter) is all around us in the way of vibrating
things, rhythm is too. Rhythm is found in our body, the environment around
us, and ultimately the universe.

RHYTHM
• …is a pattern that flows through time.
• It recurrs and alternates and provides the most fundamental aspect of
music - time. The rhythms you find in life largely cannot be controlled,
but a composer can control the passage of time in music by controlling
the key components of its rhythm.
• Musical definition: Rhythm is the particular arrangement/combination
of note lengths in a piece of music.

BEAT
• BEAT is a regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units
of time. When you tap your foot, you're responding to the beat of the
song (among other things).
• The BEAT is more simplistic than rhythm.
• Sometimes you hear the beat clearly - like when it's pounded out in a
marching band.
• Sometimes you sense the beat with an expectation of the next 'thing' or
measure.

METER
…the organization of beats into regular groups of the same size is called meter.
• When a measure has 2 beats, it is in duple meter. First beat is stressed.
• A pattern of 3 beats per measure is triple meter (waltzes). First beat is
stressed.
• Many times the first beat of the measure, or downbeat, is stressed.
 • When there are 4 beats per measure the meter is quadruple meter.
The first beat is stressed, with another stress on the 3rd beat.
• Sextuple meter contains six beats to each measure (usually at a
quicker tempo). The first beat is the downbeat with another stress on
beat 4.
• Quintuple meter (5 beats) and septuple meter (7 beats) are less fre-
quently used, except in twenty-century music). These meters give an ir-
regular effect, and the measures are subdivided into groups or 2 or 3
beats.
• LISTEN to Unsquare Dance, Dave Brubeck.

ACCENT AND SYNCOPATION

…the contraditions of meters that surprise the listener and create rhythmic ex-
citement.

2 types of accent
• When a note is emphasized by being played louder than the notes
around it, it receives a dynamic accent.
• When an accented note comes where we normally would not expect
one, the effect is known as syncopation.

2 uses of syncopation
• When a note occurs on the "offbeat" - or coming between two beats.
• When a weak beat is accented.

LISTEN to I Got Rhythm

TEMPO
…the speed of the BEAT, or the basic pace of the music.

What emotions may be associated with a FAST tempo? A SLOW tempo?

• Where do we get these associations? Could they be connected to physi-
ological norms?
TERMS

largo very slow, broad

grave Very slow, solemn

Adagio Slow

Andante Moderately slow, a walking pace

Moderato Moderate

Allegretto Moderately fast

Allegro Fast

Vivace Lively

Presto Very fast

Prestissimo As fast as possible

Qualifying words: molto (much or very) and non troppo (not too much).
Allegro molto (very fast) or allegro non troppo (not too fast).

As with dynamics, all these terms indicate only approximate tem-

pos, and are RELATIVE.

Accelerando Becoming faster

Ritardando Becoming slower

What would be the role of the above two musical tempo effects?
music notation
As we use written words to express our thoughts and communicate, music no-
tation is a system of wriging music so that specific pitches and rhythms can be
communicated.

BACKGROUND: [powell, How Music Works]

Reasons for writing music down
• Growing complication
• Growing rules
◦ By AD 750 the Christian church was insisting that masses be sung
with certain stipulations
• Different dots and shapes to signify duration
• Dots should read left to right
• Dots should be drawn on a 'ladder' to show how high or low
the notes were

Graphical Score Notation VIDEO example

Rossini, William Tell (Overture), Animated Graphical Score

NOTATING PITCH
◦ An oval symbol representing a note can signify pitch by now high it is on
the staff of 5 lines.
◦ Ledger lines extend the pitch 'range' of the staff.
◦ Sharps signs or a flat sign can also serve to raise or lower (respec-
tively) a note place on the staff.
◦ A natural sign is used to cancel a previous sharp or flat sign.
 ◦ A clef is used to show the range of the pitches on the staff.
◦ Treble clef
◦ Bass clef
• Name voice parts whose notes would be used in the treble/
bass clef.
• How about instruments? Instrument WORKSHEET
◦ The grand staff - a combination of the treble and bass staves.

NOTATING RHYTHM
"music notation does not indicate the exact duration of tones; instea if shows
how long one tone lasts in relation to others in the same piece (or section). A
single note on the staff lasts longer or shorter depending on how it looks -
whether it is white or black and has a stem or flags.

Note durations chart.

Other ways to lengthen notes: dotted notes, ties.

What equals what? Rhythm worksheets

Introduction to reading rhythms and syllabus. Rhythm-reading exercise.

NOTATING SILENCE
Duration of silence is notated by using a rest symbol. Rests are pauses without
playing or singing.

NOTATING METER
Already covered. Review.

THIS IS WHAT YOU GET

Mass Effect 2 OST - Suicide Mission (Scrolling Sheet Music Video)
melody
Melody is a string of notes that add up to a recognizable whole. BUT, it must
have more than that…it begins, moves, and ends; it has direction, shape and
continuity.

Melodic Line - the up and down movement of pitches conveying tension and
release, expectation and arrival.

MARKS OF A MELODY
• Moves by small intervals - steps
• Moves by larger intervals - leaps
• A melody has a range…distance between its highest and lowest notes.
◦ Wider range for instruments than voices
• Performance effects: legato or staccato

CONSTRUCTION OF A MELODY
• Melodies are made up of shorter parts called phrases
◦ Often appear in balanced pairs. A rising 'question.' A falling 'an-
swer.'
• The 2nd or ending phrase may conclusive with a point of arrival - ca-
dence.
◦ Incomplete cadence - sets up expectations
◦ Complete cadence - gives and answer, a sense of finality
• Often the highest note of a melody will be the climax, or the emotional
focal point.

MELODY AND WORDS

• Because of its rhythmic quality, emotional intensity, and artful use of
vowel and consonant sounds, composers tend to prefer poetry (verse)
and its poetic meter instead of prose.
• Rhymed syllables are often highlighted by similarities of rhythm and
melody. Melodic shape can be similar as well.
 • Word painting may also be used to musically represent specific poetic
images.

harmony
• Harmony adds support, depth, and richnness to the melody.
◦ It also gives DIRECTION to a melody, called a harmonic progres-
sion. As a melody unfolds, it provides clues for harmonizing.
Chord progressions enrich a melody by adding emphasis, surprise,
suspense, or finality.
• JUST LIKE other universal elements of music, the same chord progres-
sions can serve both Bach, Beethoven, jazz, folks, and rock.
• Contrary to what you may assume, many times the harmonic out-
line of the song is composed first, then a melody laid on top.

HARMONY IN PRACTICE
▪ A tone combination (intervals or chords) that is stable and restful, shows
consonance. They serve as points of arrival, rest and resolution.
▪ A tone combination that is unstable and tense shows dissonance. It
demands and onward motion, resolving to a more stable chord. When
this resolution is delayed or accomplished in unexpected ways, a feeling
of drama, suspense, or surprise is created.
See Chopin's Prelude in E Minor.
Read Kamien's performance notes.

Examples of rich vocal harmonies (spotify acapella or vocal arrangements)

Key
Key refers to the presence of a central note, scale, and chord within a piece.
Another term for key is tonality.
MAJOR scale - pattern of whole steps and half steps to produce 7 pitches
that…
• A strong pull from ti to do (the top two notes).
• The 1st and 3rd step form a MAJOR third interval
• Can sound triumphant, uplifting.
• PATTERN is W W H W W W H

MINOR scale - a pattern of whole of whole steps and half steps to produce 7
pitches that…
• Differs in pattern from the major scale: W H W W H W W
• Between the 1st and 3rd note there is a MINOR 3rd interval.
• Can sound serious, melancholy.

We learn to tell the difference between MAJOR and MINOR with re-
peated exposure (like with colors).

KEY SIGNATURE

When a piece of music is based on a major scale, we say it is in a major key.

When a minor scale is used, we say it is in a minor key.
Determining the keynote determines the particular major or minor key.

Using a key signature denotes any sharps and flats used in the piece but also
states the overall KEY of the piece.

Musical texture
Musical texture
• how many difference layers of sound are heard at once
• What kind of layers they are (melody or harmony)
• How they are related to each other.
MONOPHONIC TEXTURE
• A single melodic line without accompaniment
• "having one sound"
• Singing or playing alone OR singing/playing in UNISON

POLYPHONY TEXTURE
• Simultaneous performance of two or more equal melodic lines
• "having many sounds"
• Inventions, jazz melodic improvisation,
• HIGHLIGHTS a difference between music and speech
◦ Many people speaking at one time is confusing
◦ Multiple melodic lines can collaborate & 'work', heightening ex-
pression
• Counterpoint is the technique of combining several melodic lines into a
meaningful whole
◦ Sing through row row row your boat
◦ Listen to fugue examples

HOMOPHONIC TEXTURE
• One main melody accompanied by chords. Attention is on the melody
and colored by sounds of a secondary accompaniment.

LISTENING
Bizet's Farandole from L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2

Musical form
Form in music is the organization of musical elements in time. The ele-
ments of music (pitch, tone color, dynamics, rhythm, melody, har-
mony, and texture) interact to produce a sense of the shape and
structure.

Form becomes clearer as we develop awareness through repeated listening.

TECHNIQUES THAT CREATE MUSICAL FORM
• Repetition: creates a sense of unity. Appeals to the pleasure we get in
recognizing and remembering something
• Contrast: provides variety.
• Variation: gives unity and variety at the same time. Retainment of the
same (repetition) and expansion of differences (contrast).

TYPES OF MUSICAL FORM

▪ Ternary (3-part) Form : A B A
◦ A - statement
◦ B - departure
◦ A - return
• Listen to Dance of the Reed Pipes by Tchaikovsky
◦ Can have subsections
▪ Binary (2-part) Form: A B
◦ A - statement
◦ B - counterstatement
◦ Can have subsections
• Listen to Bourree by Bach