OAA Music

Music Theory

Rhythm

Lesson Objectives

Aspire:

Understand why musicians use different rhythms and to be able to identify ostinatos/riffs in a piece of music through listening

Challenge:

Understand the difference between pulse and rhythm, and be able to identify rhythm in a piece of music through listening skills

So what is Rhythm? ....

‘Rhythm’ is the term we use to describe the movement of music.

Movement in music is created by a repeating, steady beat called the pulse.

When the pulse is established, we can combine notes of different lengths (or durations) to create interesting and catchy rhythms.

Task One - Keeping a Pulse

Here is a track which starts with a really strong pulse. If you listen you can hear that there is a kick drum sound followed by a clap which repeats.

After about 8 seconds this fades out and other sounds enter, but by then the PULSE is established and you can FEEL the beat of the music.

Try and stamp/clap along with the track as you listen and keep going even when the pulse stops

Hearing the Pulse in Music

Sometimes the pulse isn’t so easy to hear.

Clap along with the pieces in this tutorial and see if you can identify it:

Creating Different Rhythms

Once the pulse is established, we can start to listen to the different rhythms in a piece of music.

We create rhythm by combining long and short sounds together. You will learn about the different note durations next week, but for now check out this video which shows how rhythm and pulse work together.

Pulse or Rhythm?

So how do we tell the difference between pulse and rhythm?

It’s easy - the pulse should always be steady, equal beats. The rhythm can change as much as it likes!

Task Two

Listen to this track...

Try and identify and clap the pulse first (hint - it’s not actually being played, you have to work it out!).

The song starts with a really catchy rhythm.

See if you can clap it.

What is Metre

In music, we group rhythms into small blocks which we call BARS.

You can have different numbers of beats within a bar but the most common number of beats is 4. This is why we count to 4 before you start to play in practical lessons.

The METRE is the number of beats per bar.

Try playing the rhythms below. Use your foot to tap the pulse and your hands to clap the rhythm:

More on Metre

There can be different amounts of beats within bars, and we can count the beats as crotchets or quavers (and sometimes minims!). Written music will always start with a TIME SIGNATURE to tell you how to count the music.

Here’s a video to demonstrate:

Ostinatos & Riffs

An ostinato is a rhythm which is repeated. They are often called riffs in popular music.

You can turn any rhythm into an ostinato by simply repeating it multiple times.

Here is a video with some iconic rock riffs for you to listen to. How many do you know/recognise? Notice how they all REPEAT.

Summary

The PULSE is the steady, regular beat which stays constant through a piece of music. The PULSE is what holds the RHYTHM together.

The RHYTHM is the combinations of long and short sounds which musicians use to make their music interesting and unique. There can be many RHYTHMS in a piece.

Music is split up into small chunks of sound called BARS. METRE is the number of beats within a BAR.

An OSTINATO or RIFF is a RHYTHM which is repeated several times.

Ready for a Quiz?

Rhythm Continued ...

Polyrhythms

Polyrhythm literally means MANY RHYTHMS.

So we would describe music as Polyrhythmic if we can hear multiple rhythms happening at the SAME TIME.

Here’s a great example of traditional African music based on polyrhythms. Notice how the performers often go back to the original OSTINATO they all play at the start before changing to something else.

Can you hear how the music evolves rhythmically? Can you hear the movement that is created?

Syncopation

Syncopation is where a rhythm occurs ‘off-the-beat’ or where beats are emphasised in places you wouldn’t expect.

The effect of syncopated rhythms is to displace or disrupt the flow and movement of the music.

Syncopation can be found in all types of music, but two typical examples as Samba and Jazz. Have a listen, and see if you can clap along with the pulse of each track:

Samba: Lots of syncopation here, but the most obvious to hear is the clapping

Jazz: Listen to the brass for another good example

Summary

METRE is categorised by the number of beats in the BAR. All music will have a TIME SIGNATURE which will tell you which type of beats to count and how many.

POLYRHYTHM is where two or more rhythms can be heard at the same time. An example of this is African drumming.

SYNCOPATION is where rhythms happen ‘off-the-beat’. It is really common but good examples are Samba and Jazz music.

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