Embedded Files
Objectives
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Aurally identify the meter of musical examples that use asymmetrical meters (i.e. 5 and 7-beat meters)
Perform rhythms in asymmetrical meters by clapping or tapping alongside recordings and reading from notation
Understand the difference between isochronous and non-isochronous beats.
Sight read and transcribe melodies that incorporate skips and leaps to scale degree 6.
Sight read and recognize triplet and duplet rhythmic patterns in more complex examples (continued work from previous lesson).
Preparation for Class
Preparation for Class
Read:
Read:
"Bulgarian Dance Rhythms (uneven)" (FolkDanceFootnotes.org) - Read and listen to the examples up through the section on 11/16. Try to count the S (slow) Q (quick) patterns described in the reading along with the recordings.
Watch
Watch
Demo of Turkish 7/8
** Just watch from 1:12–9:20 (Birson, 8 minutes)
Demo of Turkish 7/8
** Just watch from 1:12–9:20 (Birson, 8 minutes)
How To 'Speak' in Odd Time Signatures
(Adam Neely, 7 mins)
74 Songs in 7/4 Time
(David Bennett, 23 mins)
Study Aids
Study Aids
Common Time Signatures and Divisions in Bulgarian Folk Music
(From Vessela Stoyanova, "Against The Odds: an Exploration of Bulgarian Rhythms")
Pre-Class Assignment
Pre-Class Assignment
Auralia:
16th note rhythm recognition & dictation
Latin American Rhythm ID review
Asymmetrical Meter ID
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Discussion
Discussion
"All music is in 4/4 if you don't count it like a nerd": Isochronous vs. non-isochronous beats
In Adam Neely's video above, he talks about short beats and long beats and how they undergird many asymmetrical time signatures
For instance, the theme from the TV show Mission Impossible is written in 5/4 time, but its main musical idea has 4 non-isochronous beats - 2 long and 2 short
Is it easier for you to embody these rhythms by thinking about the change in beat length, or by keeping an isochronous underlying pulse and treating the rhythm as syncopated?
Why do you think Western notation emphasizes the notion of isochronous beats rather than the flexibility of non-isochronous beats?
Activities
Activities
Performing Rhythms in "Turn the World Around": Sing through the interlocking melodies in Harry Belafonte's "Turn the World Around" using solfege syllables. (See the transcription in the anthology with the asymmetrical meter examples).
Aurally Identify Asymmetrical Meters: Open the playlist of songs provided in the anthology. Shuffle the playlist, then listen to each song and identify:
The meter (e.g. 5/4, 7/8, 9/8)
The underlying isochronous meter and non-isochronous beats
The grouping of beats (e.g. 2+3 or 3+2+2)
Counting Along with Balkan Music: Learn the counts for each of the dances listed below (see the PDF here). Sing the repeated rhythms with counts or Takadimi while conducting. Then, play the videos and count the beats along with the dancers.
Ruchenitsa (female version); Ruchenistsa (male version)
Repertoire for Practice
Repertoire for Practice
Sight Reading:
Rhythm: Continued work with triplets and duplets.
Melody: Melodies with skips/leaps to scale degree 6
Critical Listening/Dictation: Sight singing examples using asymmetrical meters
Want to learn more?
Want to learn more?
Meter in Radiohead: Check out a video by David Bennett looking at asymmetrical, mixed meters, and polyrhythms in Radiohead.
Jazz Improvisation: Check out this video by Rémi Bolduc on adding in 5/8 and 7/8 clave rhythms into your jazz solos.
David Bennett, "How Radiohead use Time Signatures" (12 mins)
Rémi Bolduc, "Improv with 5/8 and 7/8 Claves" (2 mins)
Additional Optional Practice
Additional Optional Practice
Musition:
Rhythm Tapping: Level 4d, 10
Drum Styles: Levels 6–7
Auralia:
Rhythm Elements: Level 2b, 3b
Rhythm Element Dictation: Level 2g
Rhythmic Dictation: Level 5d
Meter Recognition: Level 4a, 4b, 4c
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