Activities

• Categorizing Metric Patterns: List a few different examples of asymmetrical meters discussed in the reading.  Discuss different ways that the rhythms can be grouped in these meters and how musical notation provides cues to those groupings. Compose a short one-bar rhythm as an example for each meter and grouping, then perform them as a class. 

• Composition Challenge: Working individually or in groups, compose a short musical passage in an asymmetrical meter. Experiment with irregular groupings, accents, and rhythmic motifs. Present your compositions to the class, explaining rhythmic choices and the creative process behind the compositions.

  • • Recomposition Challenge: For a variation, start with a melody in a simple or compound meter and recompose it in an asymmetrical meter of your choice. Flip through the sight-singing melodies in your Aural Skills Anthology for a pool of melodies to choose from. Experiment with irregular groupings, accents, and rhythmic motifs. Perform both the original and modified melody for the class, discussing creative choices made in the compositional process. 

• Notation and Time Signature Analysis: Work through a few of the examples of asymmetrical and changing meter provided in the anthology. Analyze the time signature, counting, and rhythmic structure of each excerpt. Discuss notation choices made by the composer and explore ways in which rhythmic beamings reflect the time signature.

• Drumming a Turkish Tune: Have students clap and recite the syllables of the Turkish aksak, or 9/8, rhythm in a traditional folk song. Then listen to Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo ala Turk" to see how the rhythm maps onto a jazz standard.