Fusions - Shankar - Breathing Under Water - TEMPO/METRE/RHYTHM

Question 1

What is the tempo and metre of Breathing Under Water

Answer 1

• 120 crotchets/minute
• “Surface activity” in sitar and vocals BUT overall feeling of slow, space - created by long held string chords
• metre is simple quadruple BUT 1 bar of 2/4 at bar 37

Question 2

Describe rhythm in Breathing Under Water

Answer 2

Accompaniment = characterised by slow-moving long-sustained chords

Sitar part = free and highly rhythmically varied:

• scotch snaps (bar 2)
• triplets (bar 6)
• quintuplets (bar 12)
• syncopation (bars 5-6)