Unit 1: ElementsRhythm

RhythmBasic to life

Feel as we breatheHeartbeatWalking

Rhythm – the flow of music through time Particular arrangement of note lengths in a piece of music

Beat, meter, accent and syncopation, and temporecurring pattern of tension and releaseAvoids the flow of timeHas diversityForms the shape of musicPasses at varying speeds and intensities

BeatBeat – a regular, recurrent pulsation that

divides music into equal units of time.Sometimes easy to feel and other times barely

noticeable

MeterThe organization of beats into regular groups of

stronger and weaker beats.Downbeat- the first stressed beat in a measureUpbeat – the unaccented pulse before the downbeatMeasure – 1 group of a fixed number of beats

Duple Meter – 2 beats per measureTriple Meter – 3 beats per measure – waltzQuadruple Meter – 4 beats per measure – strong beats

are 1 and 3 – jazz and rockSextuple Meter – 6 quick beats per measure – can also

be felt in 2Quintuple Meter – 5 beats per measureSeptuple Meter – 7 beats per measure – 20th century

music – combines duple and triple meter.

Accent and SyncopationHow are notes stressed?Accent – a note emphasized by being played

louder than the notes around it.Syncopation – when an accented note comes

where we normally would not expect one – off beat or weak beat Used in Jazz

Tempotempo- - the speed of the beat – fast or slow

This usually is given at the beginning of a piece.

Usually the terms are in ItalianTerm DefinitionLargo 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

Accelerando Becoming faster

Ritardando Gradual slow down

I Got Rhythm (1930)by George GershwinGenre: Musical ComedyMusical Characteristics: Duple MeterInstruments: Vocal – Soprano, orchestral

accompaniment

Unsquare Dance (1961)by Dave BrubeckGenre: 20th centuryMusical Characteristics: Septuple meter,

pizzicato bass tonesInstruments: piano, double bass, and

percussion