Chapter 4Find the Beat, Feel the Rhythm

What you will learn

Explain the difference between beat, rhythm, meter, and accent

Identify metric patterns in music, and write these patterns in graphic notation

Explain the concept of melodic rhythm

Improvise rhythm patterns while coordinating your performance with other musicians in the class

Vocabulary

Accent Meter Measure Improvisation Ostinato Syncopation

Musician Profiles

Ludwig van Beethoven Scott Joplin

What are rhythm, accent, and meter?

Time in music Beat – unit of musical time▪ the beat gives music its energy▪ Beats are the units that organize all the

rhythms in music Rhythm – the way music moves through

time Accent:▪ Emphasis placed on musical sound

Meter

Aural aspect of music in which a certain number of beats are grouped together Usually groups of two (duple) or three

(triple) The accents help establish the meter

Measure: The division of beats into defined groups

separated by a bar line Activity 1, p. 77 CD 3:12

Coordination in music

In music, coordination involves keeping more than one rhythm going at one time

Musicians often perform more than one complex pattern at the same time

Activity 2, p. 79 CD 2:4 Count and coordinate rhythmic patterns

Drum set, from above

“Felt” time

When you are waiting on the telephone and music is put on, does slow music or fast music help the time pass faster?

Why?

Metrical Patterns and Melodic Rhythms

Think about patterns around you. What patterns can you think of in

plants, animals, weather, mathematics, science, and music

As humans, why are we drawn to patterns?

Mixing meters

Composers sometimes mix meters to create an interesting rhythmic organization in their music

This can be seen in the music of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Activity 3, p. 80 CD 3:13 “Procession of the Nobles”

Melodic rhythm

The rhythm pattern of a composition’s melody

A melodic pattern that is so distinctive that you can hear it just by clapping it

Activity 4, p. 81 CD 3:14, Figure 4-1, p. 82 Symphony No. 7, Second Movement Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven

German 1770-1827 One of the world’s greatest composers Came from poverty The world’s first self-employed composers Three style periods

Early or Vienna (1792-1802) – classical style▪ First noticed hearing loss▪ Listening – Moonlight Sonata

Middle (1802-1815)▪ Some of his most important works including Symphony No. 5

Late (1815-1827)▪ He was totally deaf▪ Wrote Missa Solemnis and Symphony No. 9

Rhythms in Everyday Life

STOMP Musical group famous for its use of found

musical instruments Groups’ goal – “listen to the world in a

different way and hear music where maybe they didn’t think there was music before”

Activity 5, p.83 CD 3:15 DVD Stomp▪ How does the music of STOMP invite you to

listen to the world in a different way?▪ Would you classify this performance as dance?▪ How is it theatre?

Activity 6, p. 84

DVD – STOMP, Island Groove How many different ways do they create

sounds with basketballs? Working in groups of four, practice your

musical coordination and counting ability. Assign each person a number from one to four. In sequential order, perform each part.

Improvisation

Spontaneous musical invention The improviser is simultaneously a composer

and performer Most improvisation is done within certain

boundaries Elaborate on a familiar melody

The improviser and accompaniment must remain coordinated rhythmically and tonally

Improvisation is an art with many techniques Some believe that improvisation is the highest

form of human thinking Activity 7, p. 86

Rhythm in the music of the Bamileke

Music is part of every day life in cultures around the planet

Cameroon – a republic of Africa Home to many cultural groups

Rhythmic patterns in Bamileke music

The people perform highly rhythmic music to accompany their Lali – warrior dance

The dances are performed only by males They symbolize tribal unity and pride Activity 8, p. 88 CD 3:17 Instruments

Two-tone bells N’to – mid-sized tubular drum N’ket – large closed drum rattles

Syncopation

Deliberate shifts of accent so that it conflicts with the steady

The goal is to interrupt or upset the steady beat

Creates a feeling of imbalance

Ragtime

American music full of syncopation

Dance form of the 19th century

Usually written down, unlike jazz

Amateurs could buy and play the music

“The Entertainer” Scott Joplin

Scott Joplin (1868-1917) Born in Texarkana, Texas Taught himself piano Published his first collection in 1899 Ragtime was overshadowed by jazz The movie The Sting (1973) featured Joplin’s

music which led to a rediscovery of Ragtime He now holds and important place in

American music “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899) named for a club in

Sedalia Activity 9, p. 91 CD 3:18

Creative rhythms

Blue Man Group Known for memorable

appearance and distinctive performances

They take simple ideas and make them sound complex

Activity 10, p. 93 CD 3:19/DVD From the Top – Rattan Trio

CD 1:7 Chapter Review p. 95 #1-16

Review - terms

The aural aspect of music in which a certain number of beats are grouped together Meter

The division of beats into defined groups separated by a bar line Measure

Type of spontaneous musical invention Improvisation

The emphasis place on a musical sound Accent

A repeated melodic figure Melodic ostinato

Review – more terms

Deliberate shifts of the accent so that it goes against the steady beat Syncopation

A repeated musical figure Ostinato

Since the first beat of a group is accented, hearing the accent helps establish the… Meter

The rhythm pattern of a composition’s melody Melodic rhythm

Review

Bamileke music•Perform highly rhythmic music to accompany their warrior dance•Instruments: two-tone bells, N’to(medium sized tubular drum, N’ket (large closed drum, rattles

Syncopation• creates a feeling of imbalance or something unexpected•Feeling is caused by accents falling on weaker beats or between main beats

Review

Why is coordination an important asset for a musician? While keeping a steady beat, a musician often plays

one or more complex rhythms simultaneously Explain the difference between beat and rhythm

Beat is a unit of musical time, a steady recurring pulse Rhythm is the way music paces itself and moves

through time How does Blue Man Group take a very simple

musical idea and make it sound richly complex? They make music that sounds complex by subdividing

beats into beats of equal length

Review

What did Beethoven use for the opening of the Second Movement of his Symphony No. 7 Simple melodic rhythm

What did Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov us in “Procession of the Nobles”? Mixed meter

Who composed the “Maple Leaf Rag” Scott Joplin

When was Ragtime popular? Before World War I

Review - essay

Using music terminology, describe the rhythmic techniques used in the segment from STOMP Out Loud to create interest and variety Use of ostinatos Use of found instruments Dramatic dynamics Variety of rhythms Use of movement and sound together

Review- essay

What is the function of meter in music? What is meant by the term mixed meters? Meter establishes a certain number of

beats per measure This is done with accents A mixed meter means that the number

of beats per measure changes with the piece