Understanding music
Duration
Duration includes the elements and concepts of beat, rhythm, accent and metre.
Ideas for learning about beat and rhythm
Ask students to find their pulse on their wrists. Give each student a small percussive instrument and take turns seeing if they can play along to the beat of their heart.
Students stand in a circle, each holding a small percussive instrument (tambourine, triangle, click sticks). With the metronome start a slow walking beat that everyone can keep with their feet. Walk/stomp the beat together and turn off the metronome. A minute or so later start the metronome again to see if everyone is now walking faster. This is the tendency to get faster, not slower. While they are walking to the metronome beat invite students to intuitively play short percussive passages of rhythm that work with the beat.
Conduct an activity using free ‘beats per minute’ software to see if particular genres of music all sit within the same beats-per-minute range. Try measuring the beats per minute for country music, rap, pop and folk.
Beat
Beat is the regular underlying pulse of a piece of music, like a heartbeat.
Beat can only be varied with a
faster tempo (speed) …
or
slower tempo (speed).
Rhythm
Rhythm consists of long sounds combined with silences in patterns.
Here is another example of
rhythm.
Listen
Examples of rhythm
Contemporary (experimental), clapping rhythm:
‘Clapping Music’, written by Steve Reich, arranged and performed by Santi Carcasona
Traditional (Polynesian), drumming rhythm:
‘Otea’, traditional Polynesian music from Tahiti, performed by Amadinda Percussion Group
Accent
An
accented note is louder than other notes. Groups of
beats are defined by accented notes or longer silences.
Rhythms also have accented notes.
Metre
Metre is the organisation of beats into groups. Often the accenting of the first note in a group of beats determines the metre.
For example:
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
Here is another example of metre.
1 2 3
1 2 3
Here is another example of metre.
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
Usually these groupings are separated by a line, with the accent usually falling on the first beat, unless otherwise marked.
The
beat and
metre are often ‘felt’ when a
rhythm is superimposed over it. Often people will ‘keep’ the
beat with their foot while playing a
rhythm. Like this:
Listen
Examples of Metre
20th century (country/folk), 3/4 time (count three beats per bar):
‘Annie’s Song’, written and performed by John Denver
19th century (wartime/march), 2/4 time (count two beats per bar):
‘When Johnny Comes Marching Home’, unattributed writer, performed by the United States Military Academy Band
Back to Top