Lesson 2 [MUSI-105 Ln 1] Flashcards
Essentials of Rhythm
a cappella
singing without instrumental accompaniment
accent
musical moments or events that have particular emphasis
accent marks
figures such as > that indicate an accent where one would not be expected, or an even stronger accent where accent was expected
agogic accent
notes accented by being longer than those around them or by being preceded by silence
anacrusis
notes at the beginning of a piece or section that precede the downbeat, generally written in a pickup measure; AKA pickup notes
attack
moment when musical sound beings (also “onset”)
augmentation dot
small dot written after a general note type that adds to it half its normal value. Multiple dots each add the next note value down, or the next smaller note value.
barline
a vertical line drawn through the staff to mark the end of a measure
beams
horizontal (or nearly horizontal) bars that connect eighth and smaller notes, replacing their flags
beat
the level in a hierarchy of regular pulses which a listener feels they should move to
contour
a mental graph of the rising and falling of a piece or musical line; also “pitch shape”
division
a note that falls at the first hierarchical level below a beat. In simple time, divisions are halfway between beats
division
the two or three pulses that divide each beat
downbeat
the regularly recurring strongest beat in a piece or section of a piece
dynamic accent
a note or notes that are louder than those around them
imitation
two or more voices that sing the same or similar contours (though not necessarily at the same pitch) and rhythms, neither simultaneously nor after the other ones have completely finished
measure
the time between two downbeats in notation
meter
the classification of the number of beats between downbeats along with the division of the beat into simple (2) or compound (3) time. Indicated in notation with a time signature.
note type
a classification of a category of note rhythm such as quarter or eighth
note value
a note or rest’s length, in relationship to other notes or to beats
partial beam
a small beam at the sixteenth-note or smaller level that does not connect to any other note
pickup measure
a partial measure at the beginning of a piece with an anacrusis. Pickup measures are not counted in the numbering of measures.
pitch accent
notes that are accented by being ornamented or having an unusual pitch, such as low, high, or outside the prevailing key
primary accent
the recurring strongest accent in a piece or passage. Generally synonymous with downbeat.
pulses
regularly spaced recurring grids where sounds are expected to occur or to be able to occur
rests
durations of time not playing or singing
rhythm
the succession of sounds in music that occur over time
secondary accent
a recurring accent that is not as strong as the primary accent, such as beat 3 of 4/4 time
simple time
referring to beats that divide into two pulses
tempo
the speed at which beats recur in a piece; measured in beats per minute or using descriptive terms like “slow” or “allegro”
tie
an arc drawn between two noteheads to indicate that they should be played as one note with a length equal to both note values combined
time
the number of beats from one downbeat to the next.; similar to “meter”
time signature
the notational device placed at the start of the piece that describes its meter
True or False:
All of the beats in a measure have equal stress.
False - “Within the hierarchy of beats, some are stronger than others.”
duple time
two beats
triple time
three beats
quadruple time
four beats
simple duple time
2/4 or 2/2
simple triple time
3/4 or 3/2
simple quadruple time
4/4 or 4/2
True or False:
A quarter note gets one beat.
As a standard answer, this is false; the exact number of beats for any note value depends on the time signature.
True or False:
The whole rest is used to indicate an entire measure of rest in most meters, even if a normal whole rest cannot fit.
True, with some exceptions.
Notes are generally written with stems up when they are [above or below] the middle line of the staff.
below
Notes are generally written with stems down when they are [above or below] the middle line of the staff.
above
True or False:
Flags switch sides of the stem, depending on whether the stem is up or down.
False - “Flags always appear on the right side of the stem.”
Stems down are always on the [left or right] side of the notehead.
left
Stems up are always on the [left or right] side of the notehead.
right
True or False:
It is acceptable to use more than one augmentation dot on a note or rest.
True
True or False:
Any note value can represent the beat in a piece of music.
True
True or False:
In 4/4, it is acceptable to beam notes of beats 1 & 2 and/or 3 & 4.
True
True or False:
In 3/4, a measure entirely comprising eighth notes may all be beamed.
True
The beam of a group of notes is determined by:
the note that is farthest from the middle line
True or False:
Rhythmic values are always written with the fewest symbols possible.
False - Notes, rests, ties, and dots are always used so that they do not obscure the main beats but rather highlight them, or make them evident
True or False:
Accented syllables and musical gestures tend to fall on strong beats, like downbeats.
True
When a piece has a pickup measure, how are the missing beats accounted for?
by using those beats in the final measure such that the pickup measure + final measure equal one full measure
