|
Time and tempo
The time element of music is the partner of the sound element.
They need each other to become music. I'm afraid my dyslexic brain
never managed to come to terms with the conventional notation of
'time'.
The units of time are "beats" and music is divided into "bars" containing
beats. The number of beats per bar depends on the composer. This
number is set by the 'time signature'. I'll use some graphs to
explain, with time flowing >>> left to right >>>.
Most music is written in 4's. Human brains seem
to like the repetition of rhythms in groups of 4. Read out loud
the numbers below, stressing
the 'one' and you'll hear two bars worth of the essence of "Four
four" (4/4) Listen
to midi
Read out loud the two bars below and you'll hear the essence of
eighth notes.
Listen to midi
Read below to hear 12/8
Listen to midi
And sixteenth notes.
Listen to midi
The second most popular time signature is 3/4, meaning of course
3 beats per bar. This signature is known as a Waltz, and is used
in Country and Folk music more than Pop or Rock.
Listen to midi
3/4 can be doubled too:
Listen to midi
...and tripled:
Listen to midi
Generally speaking, chords change with the One of the bar, but
again, this is strictly up to the composer. They can change anytime
at all but to be able to be enjoyed by the masses, a certain regularity
and even predictability must be included. Most people prefer to
listen to music they can tap along to. Most of us seem to have
a deep-rooted understanding of rhythm, something that goes way
back. Strange time signatures thwart that foot-tapping. Symmetry
seems to be the prerequisite for that to happen naturally.
An example of an asymmetrical rhythm is 5/4. Here are two bars
of "Five four". This is the way I count it when I have
to.
Listen to midi
Sometimes a piece of music has a passage where rogue bars are
thrown in (by the composer) in order to achieve a certain effect.
For example, in a 4/4 tune the odd 2/4 bar is added. Often it's
done to follow a lyric or grab the attention. This gets trickier
to figure out and count, but once you hear it, it becomes straight
forward.
The main thing to remember is that underlying every piece of music
is a steady regular pulse -- that foot tapping thing -- each unit
being one beat. The time aspect of music is also the part that
is more difficult to teach. Notes and chords and rules can be learned,
but you either have a sense of rhythm or you don't. Fortunately,
those born without this gift usually have no interest in music.
The fact that you've come to this page site shows that you must
have this sense of rhythm and time.
|
