2. MUSIC 1000A Lecture 2

3. Review and announcements Attend more than one concert before the concert report is due. Course objective Introduction to effect and means, and some musical elements. Today more discussion of those musical elements starting with...

4. Rhythm –The relationship between sounds in time –The experience of time in music We experience time in thousands of ways Different cultures express musical time in different ways –“A rhythm” is a particular arrangement of longer and shorter notes in a musical passage

5. Rhythm Time concepts in Western music –Beat Regular, recurring background pulse –Accent Extra emphasis placed on some beats Music can have regular, irregular, or no accents –Meter Regular, recurring pattern of accented and unaccented (strong and weak) beats

6. Meter –Simple meters Duple meter (Yankee Doodle) Triple meter (God save the Queen) –Compound meter Quick triple subdivision of the beat(row row) –Irregular meters Quintuple meter, etc.

7. What is the difference between rhythm and meter? –Meter background; rhythm foreground Meter the yardstick; rhythm the object being measured –Rhythms can coincide with underlying meter, play with it, or even contradict it Some rhythms are strongly metrical Syncopated rhythms play with meter; place accents on weak beats or in between beats Some rhythms imply the “wrong” meter; some are entirely nonmetrical

8. Syncopation –Syncopated rhythms displace accents away from normal metric accents Can put accents on weak beats –one TWO | one TWO | one TWO | Can put accents in between beats –one AND two AND | one AND two AND | –Syncopation plays with meter Most effective when meter is clearly heard Examples: Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer or Give my regards to Broadway

9. Tempo –Rate of speed at which beats follow one another –Metronome marks tell us exactly how many beats per minute 60 = one beat per second; 120 = two beats per second; and so on –Tempo indications are approximate Often in Italian Can also express a specific mood

10. Common Tempo Indications Adagio Andante Moderato Allegretto Allegro Presto Slow On the slow side, but not too slow Moderate tempo On the fast side, but not too fast Fast Very fast

11. Tempo Changes –Accelerando; Ritardando Gradually getting faster; gradually getting slower –Più lento; più allegro Slower; faster –Fermata Hold a note (or rest) for an indefinite time Temporary suspension of tempo –a tempo Back to the main tempo

12. rhythm beat accent sforzando meter measure bar barlines simple meter duple meter triple meter compound meter quintuple meter nonmetrical syncopation Key Terms

13. More Key Terms –tempo –metronome marks –tempo indications –adagio –andante –moderato –allegretto –allegro –presto –accelerando –ritardando –fermata

14. Let’s Listen

15. Pitch Aspects of pitch –Definite or indefinite –High or low –Most music draws from a pool of definite pitches, or a scale –The distance between any two notes is called an interval

16. Interval is the space between two pitches Step –Step is a small interval –Usually the distance between adjacent notes of a scale –Two sizes: half step and whole step –Scale steps are specific notes of a scale e.g., scale step 1 (do) or scale step 5 (sol) –Suggests a ladder; discrete pitches, not entire pitch continuum

17. Octave The most important interval is the Octave –Special interval relationship –Upper note seems to duplicate lower note, though its pitch is higher –Very smooth blend derives from overtone series; octave is the first overtone –Men and women singing a tune together normally sing in octaves

18. Intervals Half step (semitone) –The smallest interval in most Western music –The interval between any two consecutive notes of the chromatic scale –On a keyboard, the distance between any note and the note nearest to it, black or white

19. Intervals Whole step –The most common interval found in diatonic scales –Same distance as two consecutive half steps

20. Scales –Collections of pitches used to construct melodies or entire pieces –Diatonic scales typical of Western music Contain seven notes in each octave –Chromatic scale uses all notes on the piano keyboard Contains twelve notes in each octave –Modern music and world music use many other scales

21. Diatonic Scale –Contain seven different pitches –Seven letter names (ABCDEFG) originated with diatonic scales –Octave (eighth note of scale) repeats the starting letter name –Contains both whole steps (5) and half steps (2); asymmetrical –Good examples include major scales (do re mi fa sol la ti do), minor scales, and church modes

22. Diatonic Scale

23. Chromatic Scale –Contains twelve different pitches; uses all black and white keys in each octave –Consists entirely of half steps; symmetrical –Requires sharps or flats to notate black keys –Developed later than diatonic scales, filling in whole steps with half steps

24. Sharps and Flats –The flat lowers a note by a half step –The sharp raises a note by a half step

25. Chromatic Scale

26. Diatonic vs. Chromatic

27. Scales and Instruments –Western instruments are designed to play diatonic and chromatic scales –Musicians learn to play in tune –Many instrument can bend pitches A little: flute, clarinet, saxophone, guitar A lot: voice, trombone, violin, cello, timpani –Some cannot Piano, harpsichord, xylophone

28. Pitch Key Terms –Pitch –Scale –Interval –Octave –Diatonic scale –Chromatic scale –Flat –Sharp –Half step –Whole step –Playing in tune

29. Let’s Listen to some examples

30. Let’s look at notation