A world of rhythms

There is music wherever there is rhythm, as there is life wherever there beats a pulse.
- Igor Stravinsky

1. A few words on rhythm

Everything around you has a rhythm to it, from birds to automobiles to babies, and
that includes you. But where do you get your rhythm? Your own heartbeat is a good
inspiration. For trees its the slow rhythm of the seasons. Finally they start blossoming
again. For water its the tidal rhythm, for the day fly the whole life is over within a day.
Music needs rhythm, no doubt about it. The beat of nearly any piece of music is
easy to feel. Its what sets your toe tapping, its what makes you dance. The beat is a
regular pulse, like your heartbeat, which lasts throughout a piece of music.
Speaking of pulse, did you know that music with a fast beat makes your heart beat
faster and speeds up your breathing whereas music with a slow beat makes your heart
and breathing slow down? Its true. The beat is musics pulse, and like yours, it doesnt
stop until the performance is over.
So counting out a beat is exactly where well have to start with music. Without a
discernible rhythm, there will be no order to music and nothing to dance to or nod our
heads to. Although all the other parts of music (pitch, melody, harmony) are pretty
important, without rhythm, you dont really have a song. Thats why rhythm is where well
need to start in this course.

ETUDE DU BATTEMENT (ou Temps) ET DU RYTHME

Beats
and
bars consiste trouver la pulsation (temps ou batteLa premire chose 2.
faire,
pour lire
un rythme,
ment). La pulsation, en musique, est constante, comme les battements de votre coeur ou le tic-tac
dune horloge. Le rythmeMusic
dun morceau
de musique
est bas
une unit deregular
temps quipulses
sentend(Pulsationen)
et
moves
to a series
ofsur
repeating,
that divide
se sent. Lorsque, en coutant de la musique anime, vous vous mettez taper du pied en rythme,
into equal lengths. Each pulsation is also called a beat (Grundschlag). The beat
cest que vous ressentez cette unit de temps et que vous la marquez du pied. Ce battement peut
your heartbeat,
which
lasts
throughout
a piece of music.
tre reprsent regular
au moyen pulse,
de notes like
de musique
places intervalles
gaux,
comme
ceci:

time
is a

| | | | | | | | | | | |

*1 Frappez ces pulsations (temps ou battements) sur une table ou sur vos genoux. Frappez une fois
pour chaque note.

ETUDE DU BATTEMENT (ou Temps) ET DU RYTHME

La premire chose faire, pour lire un rythme, consiste trouver la pulsation (temps ou batteIn written
music, these
are grouped
into
or bars (Takte), which at
ment). La pulsation, en musique,
est constante,
comme beats
les battements
de votre coeur
ou measures
le tic-tac
dune horloge. their
Le rythme
morceau
de musique
sur une
unit de temps
qui sentend
turndun
are
separated
by est
barbas
lines
(Taktstriche).
The
doubleetbar line marks the end of a
se sent. Lorsque, en coutant de la musique anime, vous vous mettez taper du pied en rythme,
section, or the end of a song. It has a regular-sized line in addition to a thicker line close
cest que vous ressentez cette unit de temps et que vous la marquez du pied. Ce battement peut
by to the right:
tre reprsent au moyen de notes de musique places intervalles gaux, comme ceci:

| | | | | | | | | | | |

*1 Frappez ces pulsations (temps ou battements)

sur une table ou sur vos genoux. Frappez
fois
bar
barune
line
pour chaque note.

double bar line

3. Time signature
In printed music, right after the clef at the beginning of the staff, youll see a pair of
numbers, one written over the other.

* Les chiffres encadrs correspondent aux sections du CD. Chaque exemple commence par une
mesure de claquements rythmiques.

The pair of numbers is called the time signature (Taktart) and it tells you two things:
1. The top number tells you how many beats will be in each bar. So, in the examples
above, in 4/4 time, there will be 4 beats in each measure; in 3/4 time there will be three
beats in each measure, and in 2/4 time there will be two beats in each measure.
2. The bottom number tells you which note gets one beat. Remember fractions? Another
way of saying 1/4 is one quarter. And so:
-> with a 4 in the bottom of the time signature, you know that the quarter note
receives one beat.
-> with a 8 in the bottom of the time signature, you know that the eighth note
receives one beat.
-> with a 2 in the bottom of the time signature, you know that the half note receives
one beat.

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4. The anatomy of a note

Page 18

Part I: Rhythm: Keeping the Beat

18
Notes are made up of three specific components: the note head (Notenkopf), the
stem (Notenhals), and the flag. Every note has a head. Its the round part of a note. A note
stem is the vertical
Figureline
2-2: attached to the note head. A note flag is the little line that comes
off the top or bottom
of the
note stem:
EveryPart
note
I: Rhythm:
Keeping the Beat

18has a head.

An eighth
note (the
Figure 2-2:
third one
Every note
shown here)
has a head.
has all three
An eighth
possible
note (the
components
third one
shown
of a note: here)
has all three
the head,
possible
The
note head / Der
the stem,
components
and theNotenkopf
flag.
of a note:

The stem /
Der Notenhals

The flag

the head,
the stem,
and the By
flag.the

way, stems can point either up or down, depending where on the staff
they appear (pointing up or down makes no difference in the value of the
By the way, stemsnote
canpoint
either
upout
orall
down,
where
and youll
find
aboutdepending
staffs in Chapter
7).they
Only appear.
eighth notes
By the way, stems can point either up or down, depending where on the staff
and no
smaller
notes
have
flags.
Quarter
notes
and
half
notes
have
Pointing up or down makes
difference
in
the
value
of
the
note.
Only
eighth
notes
and but no
they appear (pointing up or down makes no difference in the value of stems
the
flags.note
Whole
notes
have
neither
stems
nor
flags.
and youll find out all about staffs in Chapter 7). Only eighth notes

smaller notes have flags. Quarter notes and half notes have stems but no flags. Whole
and smaller notes have flags. Quarter notes and half notes have stems but no
notes have neither stemsInstead
nor flags.
flags.
neither
stems
nor flags.
ofWhole
each notes
note have
getting
a flag,
though,
notes with flags can also be con-

nected to each other with a beam (sometimes called a ligature), which is

Instead of each note getting a flag, though, notes with flags can also be conreally
just another, more organized-looking incarnation of the flag. For examnected to each other with a beam (sometimes called a ligature), which is
ple, Figure
2-3another,
shows more
how organized-looking
two eighth notes
can be written
as each
having a
really just
incarnation
of the
flag.
For examInstead of each note
getting
a
flag,
though,
notes
with
flags
can
also
be
connected
flag, ple,
or as
connected
byhow
a beam.
Figure
2-3 shows
two eighth notes can be written as each having a

to each other with a beam (sometimes

called abyligature),
flag, or as connected
a beam. which is really just another, more
organized-looking incarnation of the flag:

j j jj

Figure 2-3:
Figure 2-3:
Eighth notes
Eighth notes
can becan be
connected
connected
together
together
with beams
with beams
of
insteadinstead
of
having
having
individual
individual flags.
flags.

==

The beam

5. Note values

In music the official reason for notes is to explain exactly how long a specific pitch
should be held by the voice or instrument.
Each note comes with its own value. The value of a half note is half that of a whole note,
the value of a quarter note is a quarter that of a whole note, and so on. Each level of the
tree of notes is equal to the others:

Whole

Half

Quarter

Eighth

Sixteenth

Another way to think of notes that you may find helpful is to imagine a whole note
as a pie, which is easy because it is round. To divide up the pie into quarter notes, cut it
in quarters. Cutting the pie into eight pieces gives you eighth notes, and so on.

Treble Clef

Bass Clef

Depending on the time signature of the piece of music, the number of beats per
note varies. In the most
time signature,
4/4 time,
Alsocommon
called G-clef,
Also called
F-clef,also called common time, a
whole note is held for
four
beats,
a
half
note
is
held
for
two, and a quarter note lasts one
this is the top hand
this is the bottom
beat. An eighth note
lasts
half a beatorand a sixteenth
note
justora quarter of a beat in 4/4
clef
for instruments
hand clef for
notes
time.
notes of higher pitch.
instruments of lower
pitch.

Study guide - rhythms

1. What is the beat in music?

2. What is a bar line used for?
3. Where is a double bar line used?
4. What is the time signature in music?
5. What does the top number of the time signature give us?
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Page 17

6. What does the lower number of the time signature give us?
7. Name the three elements that form a note!

Chapter 2: Counting Out Notes

8. Mark the missing symbols of the rhythm tree:

Figure 2-1:
Each level
of this tree
of notes
lasts as
many beats
as every
other level.
At the top is
the whole
note, below
that half
notes, then
quarter
notes,
eighth
notes, and
finally
sixteenth
notes on the
bottom.

j j j j j j j j

r r r rr rr r r r r r r r r r

Another way to think of notes that you may find helpful is to imagine a whole
note as a pie, which is easy because it is round. To divvy up the pie into quarter notes, cut it in quarters. Cutting the pie into eight pieces gives you eighth
notes, and so on.
Depending on the time signature of the piece of music (see Chapter 4), the
number of beats per note varies. In the most common time signature, 4/4
time, also called common time, a whole note is held for four beats, a half note
is held for two, and a quarter note lasts one beat. An eighth note lasts half a
beat and a sixteenth note just a quarter of a beat in 4/4 time.
Often, the quarter note equals one beat. If you sing, MA-RY HAD A LIT-TLE

17

Revision exercise

Mark the name and the length in beats of each note value in the right box. The time
signature is 4/4.

Whole Note
Half Note
Quarter Note
Eighth Note
Sixteenth Note
Whole Rest
Half Rest
Quarter Rest
Eighth Rest
Sixteenth Rest