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How Music Works, Part I: Rhythm

Discover key concepts like beat, subdivision, meter, accent, and tempo through examples like “The Alphabet Song” and "Billie Jean," exploring rhythmic patterns and meter variations in music. Learn about syncopation and free rhythm in different musical genres.

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How Music Works, Part I: Rhythm

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  1. How Music Works, Part I: Rhythm Chapter 3

  2. The Four Basic Properties of Tones

  3. Rhythm in “The Alphabet Song” • Rhythm: how the sounds and silences of music are organized in time. • “The Alphabet Song” • Eighth notes (“a b c d”) • Sixteenth notes (“l-m-n-o”) • Quarter notes (“p” “v”)

  4. Beat • Beat: the underlying pulse in a piece of music; what you tap your foot to when you listen, move your feet to when you dance • Often marked by a steady stream of quarter-note pulses (e.g., “Alphabet Song”) • Each pulse is a beat; the continuous stream of pulses is called the beat • Sing “The Alphabet Song” while clapping the beat • Clap along with the beat of “Uptight,” by Stevie Wonder [PL 3-1] (follow the drum part)

  5. Subdivision • Subdivision: Division of individual beats into smaller, even rhythmic units • Types of subdivision: • Duple • “a b c d” in “Alphabet Song” • Michael Jackson, Billie Jean [PL 3-2] • Quadruple • “l-m-n-o” in “Alphabet Song” • “Knew he was a…” and “First time that I…”, etc., in Taylor Swift’s “…Ready for It?” [PL 3-3] • Triple • “Merrily MerrilyMerrilyMerrily” in “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” • Shuffle version (middle note of each group of three “left out”) • “Life – is but – a dream” in “Row Your Boat” • Blues shuffle ex., Charles Atkins, “A Funny Way of Asking” [PL 3-4] • Celtic hornpipe essentially the same [PL 3-5]

  6. Meter • Meter: Grouping of beats together to form larger units • One such group of beats is called a measure or a bar • The number of beats in a measure defines the music’s meter • Meters of two beats (duple), three beats (triple), and four beats (quadruple) the most common, at least in Western music • Other, more complex meters may occur as well (5, 7, 11, or 13 beats per measure), and the meter may change from one bar or section to the next • Often, there will be a pattern of different beat strengths, e.g., Strong-weak-Medium-weak (S w M w) in quadruple meter, S w w in triple meter

  7. Meter Examples • “Alphabet Song” • meter of four (S w M w) (Fig. 3.7, p. 40) • “Star-Spangled Banner” • meter of three (S w w) (Fig. 3.8, p. 40) • Egyptian music example “Alla Hai” (HossamRamzy) [PL 3-6] • Meter of two (Fig. 3.9, p. 40) • Mexican mariachi example “CielitoLindo” (Mariachi Sol) [PL 3-7] • Meter of three (S w w) (Fig 3.10, p. 41) • Roma brass band, Romania, “CanteculMiresei (Bride’s Song)” [PL 3-8] • Meter of 7 (2+2+3) (Insights and Perspectives [I&P] box, p. 42) • Bulgarian music by Ivo Papazov, “KurdzhaliyskaRachenitza” [PL 3-9] • Meter of 7 (2+2+3, but with “tricks”!) (I&P box, p. 42)

  8. Accent and Syncopation • Accent: note given special emphasis (usually played louder than notes surrounding it • Syncopation: an accented note that falls between main beats • Example with little to no syncopation: • PL 3-10 (from Mozart, EineKleineNachtmusik) • Examples with much syncopation: • PL 3-11 (James Brown, “I Got You [I Feel Good]” – song starts at 1:09) • PL 3-12 (JasbirJassi, “KudiKudi”– bhangra music – song starts at 1:35, syncopated “Hoi!” shouts at 2:30) • West African drum-and-dance ensemble music [PL 3-13] • Westerners describe such music as highly syncopated, but West African musicians may resist such a description (p. 43)

  9. Tempo • Tempo: the rate at which the beats pass in music • Tempos range from fromvery slow, to slow, medium-slow, medium (moderate), medium-fast, fast, and very fast • Sing the “Alphabet Song” at several different tempos; does the feeling and mood of the song change? • Can be constant or variable, can accelerate or decelerate, suddenly or gradually • The Athenians, “Zorba the Greek” [PL 3-14] – tempo accelerates gradually • The Beatles, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” [PL 3-15] – sudden changes in both tempo and meter (e.g., at 1:56, 2:23)

  10. Free Rhythm • The term free rhythm may be applied to music in which there is no discernible beat, and in turn no discernible meter • Examples: • Opening section of a piece featuring the South Indian vina [PL 3-16] (which is in free rhythm up to the point where the mrdangamdrum enters) • Whitney Houston, opening section of “I Will Always Love You” [PL 3-17]

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