Rhythm and Metre Flashcards
Rhythm
An arrangement (pattern) of musical sounds with different durations.
Pulse
The steady beat of the music - often stays the same throughout.
Duration
The length of the notes (semibreves, minims, crochets, quavers, semiquavers, etc).
Time Signature
Shows how many beats are in each bar and what kind of beats they are.
4/4 = 4 Crochet beats in a bar
If the lower number is 4 each beat is a crotchet
If the lower number is 2 each beat is a minim
If the lower number is 8 each beat is a quaver
Triplets
3 notes played in the time of 2 (triplet quavers would be played over time of two quavers)
Compound Time
Has 6, 9, or 12 beats in a bar (the top number of time signature). The main beats of the bar are subdivided into groups of three.
The audio example is in 12/8 - 4 sets of 3 quavers (4x3)
This feels like ‘1-and-a 2-and-a 3-and-a 4-and-a’
Simple Time
Has 2, 3 or 4 beats in a bar (the top number of time signature). The main beats of the bar are subdivided into groups of two.
Dotted Rhythms
Adds half the original value to a note. (e.g. a dotted crotchet lasts for one and a half crotchet beats)
Tempo
The speed of the music.
Syncopation
The strong notes are on unexpected/weak beats, so it sounds “off- beat”. Used a lot in jazz and pop music, such as this Stevie Wonder song.
Metre
The pattern of the beats/pulse.
Metre can be regular (e.g. 4/4); irregular (e.g. 7/4); or free (no strong sense of pulse).
Semibreve
A note worth 4 beats.
Minim
A note worth 2 beats.
Crotchet
A note worth 1 beat.
Quaver
A note worth half a beat.
Semi-quaver
A note worth quarter of a beat.
Rubato
When the performer speeds up or slows down to add extra expressiveness to a performance. Very common in Romantic Period.
Polyrhythm
More than 2 rhythms played at the same time. It sounds like they fit together.
Cross-rhythm
Two contrasting rhythms played at the same time. It sounds like they don’t really fit together.
Drum Fills
Short drum solos to join up sections of music, or for the drummer to show off.
Augmentation
To make something bigger. In rhythm, it means to double the length of each note.
Diminution
To make something smaller. In rhythm, it means to halve the length of each note.
Regular Metre
The pattern of the beats falls into regular measures. (e.g. bars containing 2, 3 or 4 strong beats with no time signature changes).
Both simple and compound time signatures are in regular metre.
Irregular Metre
The pattern of the beats falls into irregular measures. (e.g. bars containing 5 or 7 beats – is it clearly repetitive but difficult to tell what the time signature is).
Audio Example is called ‘Take Five’ and is in 5/4
Free Metre
There is no regular time signature
The music appears to float with no regular sense of pulse, or strong beats in the bar (like the first and third beat, or the ‘offbeat’).
Audio Example is from ‘Pierrot Lunaire’ by Arnold Schoenberg.
Allegretto
(Tempo): Fairly quick
Allegro
(Tempo): Quick
Andante
(Tempo): Medium / Walking Pace / Leisurely
Lento
(Tempo): Very slow
Adagio
(Tempo): Slowly
Accelerando
(Tempo): To get faster (accelerate)
Audio example is from Peer Gynt Suite by Grieg.
Rallentando
(Tempo): To get slower
Hemiola
A rhythmic device where music that has 3 beats per bar briefly feels like it has 2 beats per bar.
Audio example is by Handel: the first eight bars are clearly in 3/4, then it feels like there are three bars of 2/4 before it goes back to 3/4. This rhythmic trick is a hemiola.
