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7 | Musical Elements

Beat, Meter and Rhythm

Peter Kun Frary


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Rhythm is the structured flow of musical sounds through time.

Matt | Rhythm is fundamental to all music | Leeward Theatre | ©Peter Kun Frary

Matt


Rhythm consists of three components: beat, meter and duration. Beat and meter are covered in this chapter. Duration will be addressed under Music Notation.

Beat and Meter Basics | Professor Frary (7:16)


metronome Beat

When dancing you move to a steady pulse called the beat. Beat underlies music and creates rhythmic coherence. Listen to a beat played on a metronome:


role Role of the Beat

Music is organized on a timeline and the beat is the unit of measurement. To experience the beat's role, sing a phrase of America while clapping the beat. Three beats are given before America starts:


“My” equals 1 beat, “'tis” equals 1-1/2 beats and “sing” equals 3 beats.


metronome Tempo

The speed of the beat is called tempo. Tempo is indicated in beats per minute (BPM) or with descriptive terms called tempo markings—typically Italian words. Here are the basic tempos from slow to fast:

  • largo, very slow and broad
  • adagio, slow and at ease
  • andante, moderately slow (walking pace)
  • andantino, a little faster than andante
  • moderato, moderately
  • allegretto, a little slower than allegro
  • allegro, fast (cheerful)
  • presto, very fast

Pieces are often referred to by tempo markings. Why? Many instrumental pieces have generic titles such as sonata or numerical designations. Referring to a work by a tempo mark such as Allegro is more memorable than calling out a number.

Guardians of the beat | Ala Moana Center | ©Peter Kun Frary

Guardians of the beat | Ala Moana Center Stage


metronome Metronome

The metronome, invented in 1815 by Johann Maelzel, is used to play a beat for music practice and setting tempo. Numbers indicate beats per minute (BPM). Most metronomes are adjustable from largo (40-60 BPM) to presto (168+ BPM).

Metronome | The nineteenth century metronome used a mechanical click and pendulum to indicate the beat. | Dover Clip Art

Metronome


Early metronomes were mechanical and use a pendulum and click sound. Current metronomes are standalone electronic units or smartphone apps.

Seiko Metronome | Flashing LEDs on modern metronomes replaced the pendulum of mechanical metronomes. | Photo courtesy Seiko

Metronome


Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) was among the first composers to specify tempos in BPM, believing that Italian words were too subjective.


meter Meter

As you sang America you felt beats in groups of three: strong-weak-weak. This grouping of beats in a pattern of stressed and unstressed pulses is called meter. The meter of America is triple meter because of the three-beat grouping.

The three most common meters:

  • Duple meter, two beats in a strong-weak pattern (1-2).
  • Triple meter, three beats in a strong-weak-weak pattern (1-2-3).
  • Quadruple meter, four beats in a strong-weak-secondary strong-weak pattern (1-2-3-4).

The first beat of any meter is called the downbeat.

Conductor | The conductor shows the first beat of a meter by dropping his baton, hence the term downbeat. | Dover Clipart

conductor

duple meter Duple Meter

Sing Mary had a Little Lamb while chapping the beat. Feel the strong-weak (1-2) pattern? That's the feel of duple meter. It's a favorite for marches because duple meter synchronizes perfectly with the left-right stepping pattern of two legs.

Listen to the strong-weak (1-2) metric groove of On The Avignon Bridge:

On The Avignon Bridge | Frary Ukulele Band | French folk song in duple meter


triple meter Triple meter

Sing On Top of Old Smokey while clapping and you'll hear the strong-weak-weak pattern (1-2-3) of its underlying triple meter. Triple meter, sometimes called waltz time, is common in classical and folk music but heard less in popular music.

Listen to the triple (1-2-3) meter of Malagueña:

Malagueña | Frary Ukulele Band | Traditional Spanish dance in triple meter


quadruple meter Quadruple meter

Sing a chorus of Mine Eyes have Seen the Glory while clapping and you'll feel the groove of the strong-weak-secondary strong-weak quadruple meter pattern (1-2-3-4). Quadruple meter is also called common time because it is used frequently.

Listen to the quadruple meter (1-2-3-4) of Hawaii Five-O:

Hawaii Five-O | The Frary Ukulele Band | Instrumental in quadruple meter


study_icon3 Study Questions

Meter is something your hear and feel while listening to music. Listen to the beat and accents in the Ukulele Blues and Minuet. First, find the downbeat and count the beats between accents. They should add up to repeating beat patterns of two, three or four. What are the meters of Ukulele Blues and Minuet? [answer below]

Ukulele Blues | Frary Ukulele Band


Minuet | Leeward Coast Guitars


Syncopation

Musical sounds usually agree with the flow of beat and meter. Sometimes they contradict or obscure the meter by placing emphasis on normally weak beats or weak parts of a beat. This displacement of metrical accents is called syncopation.

Sinner Man is in quadruple meter. In the version below, most bass notes and chords hit on stressed beats of the meter, beats one and three:


Next, I recorded Sinner Man with syncopations in the bass and guitar chords. The first bass note hits on the downbeat but the second note lands in between beats two and three, obscuring the metrical accent on the third beat. Guitar chords hit on beats two and four, normally weak beats, making a syncopated rhythm bed for the 'ukulele melody. The tension from two syncopated parts against the straightforward melody is a feature of syncopation. Sinner Man with syncopated bass and chords:

Sinner Man | Frary Ukulele Band


The tension of syncopations make a more interesting arrangement.

study_icon3 Answers

Ukulele Blues is in quadruple meter. Minuet is in triple meter.


Vocabulary

beat, tempo, rhythm, BPM, meter, triple meter, duple meter, quadruple meter, downbeat, tempo marking, syncopation

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Preface
Elements
Medieval
Renaissance
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
Modern