Rhythm and Meter: An Introduction (part 2)




The rhythm of a song is often different from its pulse. Rhythm refers to the actual surface activity of the composition. In the case of "Row, Row, Row," rhythm refers to every word of the text or pitch of the melody. It is marked out in the diagram below. I have marked the pulse in larger X's. 

Row, Row, Row your boat
X     x    X   x    x

Gently down the stream
X   x   x    x    X

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily
X  x x   x  x x   X  x x   x   x x

Life is but a dream
X    x  x   x  X


Why not listen to this following example, from the opening of Bach's: St. John's Passion, and see if you can pick out the pulse followed by the various rhythms of the individual instruments?

opening St. John Passion

If you listen carefully to the rhythms of the individual members of the orchestra you'll hear that their individual rhythms are all related to the general pulse of the work. If you listen carefully you'll note they are related like this:

Winds   X  


  X  


  X  


  X  


  X  


  X  


Middle Strings   X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X     X  
Low Strings   X  
  X  
  X  
  X  
  X  
  X  
  X  
  X  
  X  
  X  
  X  
  X  


This chart reflects only a tiny section of the music, perhaps a few seconds.

For every wind X, there are four middle string Xs; and two low string Xs; for every low string X there are two middle string Xs. Try to listen to the excerpt again tapping your foot along with the basses, the violins and finally the winds, in turn, in order to hear the relationships between their different rhythms.

We can take this simple mathematical relationship and translate it into musical terms and symbols, replacing the wind X with quarter notes , the low string Xs with eighth notes , and the middle string Xs with sixteenth notes.

Applying these notes to the Bach example, we would write the rhythms as in the table below:

Middle Strings                                        
Low Strings     
    
    
    
Flutes     


    




The actual physical duration of these various notes is not defined quantitatively: the actual duration of a quarter-note will differ depending on the tempo. However, what is defined quantitatively is the relationship of one note to another: a quarter note will always equal two eighth notes. When we try to understand the meter of the piece this relativity will come into play.

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All text © Todd Tarantino 2002-2012.
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