Rhythm Flashcards
What is a measure of time in music?
Beats
What is a musical tone?
A sound of a specific frequency
How is pitch represented on a staff/stave?
Placing oval noteheads on different lines or spaces
What is rhythm?
Regulated succession of strong and weak elements and made up of sounds and silences
What are put together to form a pattern of sounds in a rhythmic pattern?
Loud and quiet elements
Does a rhythm have a steady beat?
Yes
What is tempo?
Speed or pace of a given piece
What can tempo affect?
Mood and emotions
Difficulty of the piece
What is tempo usually expressed in?
Beats per minute
What emotions are associated with a fast tempo?
Happiness, excitement, delight, liveliness
What emotions are induced by a slow tempo?
Sadness, depression, gravity
Can the type of tempo evoke different emotions?
Yes
What does the time signature of a piece inform us of?
Specifies how many beats are in each bar and which note value is equivalent to one beat
Where is the time signature written?
At the beginning of the staff (stave) after the clef and the key signature
What do time signatures consist of?
Two numbers, written like a fraction
What does the top number of a time signature tell you?
Tells you how many beats to count
What does the bottom number of a time signature tell you?
Tells you what kind of note to count (e.g., quaver, crotchet, minim, semibrieve)
What is another word for metric level?
Beat level
Why do we divide music into bars?
Allows easy reference points to pinpoint locations within a score
Makes written music easier to follow - each bar can be played as a group/batch
How many beats in a bar do most Western pieces have?
4 crotchet beats (4/4)
Is bodily music to the sound of music universal?
Yes. Does not require musical training. Especially 2/4 and 4/4 - humans are bipeds. Can walk very easily to this beat.
Which time signatures are common in Western music and why are they easy to follow?
4/4 and 2/4. Simple and even/regular. Beat levels contain even divisions of time and sequential intervals. Humans are bipeds.
What cultures have odd, complex, irregular time signatures?
South Asia, Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe
Are there cross-cultural differences in the ability to perceive irregular time signatures?
Yes. Produced inaccurately by Western listeners, unless they are professional musicians.
Are there cross-cultural differences in the ability to perceive irregular time signatures?
Yes. Produced inaccurately by Western listeners, unless they are professional musicians.
Western listeners tend to assimilate irregular time signatures towards simpler, more familiar patterns.
Does time signature vary cross culturally?
Yes
What are examples of irregular time signatures?
7/8, 9/8, 11/8, 15/16
What did a study on Western and Turkish infants find regarding time signature preference?
Preferential looking times were measured
4-8 month year-old Western infants preferred Western time signature
Turkish infants of the same age prefer both Turkish and Western time signatures
Suggests that Western music is not unfamiliar in Turkish culture
Can infants be exposed to music prenatally?
Yes
Do we have a clear conclusion whether time signature is a meter of nature or nurture?
No
