PART 2 - The Rhythm

PART 2 - The Rhythm

What is rhythm?

The rhythm, in music, the placement of sounds in time. It also defines the duration of a note (how long or for how many beats a note lasts). It also defines the duration of rests (a rest is a pause in music).

How are notes and rests duration defined?

Notes and rests of different durations are represented by the following symbols:

How can notes and rests duration increased?

If you add a dot to a note, its duration is increased by one half of its original value:

You can also tie notes together to increase their duration:

What are beams or beamings?

Notes of 1/8 duration ( ♪ ) (quavers) or lower are often grouped together with beams. A beam is a thick line that connects two or more notes to ease readability. The use of beams is called beaming:

What are bars, beats, and time signatures?

To help keep track of beats, the staff is divided into bars (or measures). A time signature (or meter) is placed on the staff usually at the beginning of the piece, right after the clef, and indicates how many beats you can expect to find in each bar:

The top number of the time signature can indicate either the number of beats in each bar (for simple time signatures) or the number of subdivisions in each bar (for compound time signatures). The bottom number shows what kind of note value receives one beat or subdivision. In the previous example, a time signature of 4/4 means that there are four beats in each bar and that each beat is worth one quarter note (crotchet). There are several different time signatures in music. Here are a few examples:

Beats in simple time signatures:

Beats and subdivisions in compound time signatures:

There are also different ways to write a time signature. For example, the following signatures are equivalent:

What are bar lines?

Bar lines delimit bars and can be of different kinds according to their meaning:

What are repetitions?

A repetition is usually bound by the Start Repeat Bar, which defines where the repetition starts, and the End Repeat Bar, which defines where the repetition ends. If no Start Repeat Bar is present (which is very common in music), the repetition starts from the beginning of the piece.

What is an upbeat, also known as lead-in, anacrusis, or pickup?

The upbeat is the note (or a sequence of notes) that precedes the first downbeat in a bar. It allows the piece to have the strongest “accent” (downbeat) in the first beat of the subsequent bars. Traditionally, the upbeat is not counted inside a bar since it precedes the first bar. There may be single note upbeats (as in Amazing Grace) or multiple-note upbeats. Imagine a conductor raising his baton on the upbeat and bringing it down on the downbeat in the examples below:

What is a slur? What is "legato"? And what are ties?

A slur is a curved line connecting multiple notes. You may often find two or more notes “slurred” together. Playing notes grouped by a slur requires having a smooth and connected sound, which is basically extending each note duration until the next one starts causing the "legato" effect. Such a style is known as legato. Here is an example of legato from a passage for violin:

Slurs must not be confused with ties which is used to extend the duration of a note. A tie connects two notes of the same pitch, indicating that they should be played as a single, sustained note. Here is a music passage that uses ties:

Question 1: What does the rhythm define in music?

-- Select Your Answer -- The rhythm defines the duration of notes or rests It's the beats in music Defines tempo of music

Question 2: How is a whole note also called?

-- Select Your Answer -- Complete note Semibreve A bar note

Question 3: How many quarters are there in a semibreve?

-- Select Your Answer -- None One quarter Four quarters

Question 4: How many beats are there in a half note?

-- Select Your Answer -- Two beats Half semibreve Half beat

Question 5: What rest is this?

-- Select Your Answer -- A half note rest A quarter note rest It is not a rest

Question 6: What does a "dot" do to a note or rest?

-- Select Your Answer -- Decrease its duration of one half Increase its duration of one half Makes the note 'staccato'

Question 7: What is this line called?

-- Select Your Answer -- A slur A tie A 'legatura'

Question 8: What is a "beam" or "beaming"?

-- Select Your Answer -- Lines coming from a note It's another name for 'beat' A beam is a thick line that connects two or more notes

Question 9: What is this?

-- Select Your Answer -- A time signature A fraction A chord symbol

Question 10: How many bars in the example below?

-- Select Your Answer -- 1 bar 3 bars 4 bars

 

Question 11: How many beats in the example below?

-- Select Your Answer -- 1 beat 3 beats 6 beats

 

Question 12: Are these notes in a simple or compound time signature?

-- Select Your Answer -- Simple Compound

Question 13: Are these notes in a simple or compound time signature?

-- Select Your Answer -- Simple Compound

Question 14: What is this at the end of the staff?

-- Select Your Answer -- A double line note A final bar A chord symbol

Question 15: How many times would you play the bar below?

-- Select Your Answer -- One time Twice Never

 

Question 16: What is an "upbeat"?

-- Select Your Answer -- Is the note (or a sequence of notes) that precedes the first downbeat in a bar It is the last beat in a bar It is the second beat in a bar

Question 17: What is the line over these notes?

-- Select Your Answer -- A tie A slur Just a curved line

 

Question 18: What are the lines under these notes?

-- Select Your Answer -- Ties Slurs Just curved lines