Rhythmic Notation Microlesson

Introduction

Man has always made music. Over time, notation for rhythm in music has evolved and developed into the notation system with which we are currently familiar. In this microlesson, we will familiarize ourselves with rhythmic notation.

Explore

Rhythmic Notation Introduction

View the presentation below to learn about rhythmic notation. Prepare to take notes and use the navigational buttons at the bottom of the video to pause, rewind, or move forward.

Download a quick guide to Rhythmic Notation. Please note that this PDF may not be fully accessible. If you require accessible text, you can find it below.

Fundamentals of Musical Rhythm and Notation

The provided text explains fundamental concepts of musical rhythm notation, focusing on how different note and rest durations are represented. It illustrates various types of notes such as whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes, along with their corresponding rests, and clarifies that their specific lengths are determined by a piece's tempo marking, not an inherent standard. The document also details the function of an augmentation dot in extending a note's duration by half its original value and introduces ties as a method for connecting notes to create a single, prolonged sound. Finally, it describes tuplets as non-standard note divisions, often indicated by a bracket and a number, which allow for rhythmic flexibility beyond typical subdivisions.

Duration of Rests and Notes

Notes and rests are symbols that represent numbers and the amount of 'time,' or beats, to maintain sound or silence. View the presentation below to learn about duration of rests and notes. Prepare to take notes and use the navigational buttons at the bottom of the video to pause, rewind, or move forward.

Meter: Simple and Compound

Simple Meter
These are terms used to describe the meter, or time signature. Simple meter uses the upper numbers of 2, 3, or 4 and is spoken as duple, triple, or quadruple meter. Time signatures that are 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 are ‘simple’ because each note may be segmented into two other notes. Click on each of the hotspots below to review these concepts.

Compound Meter

Compound Meter also may be described as duple, triple, or quadruple meter, but these may be segmented into groups of three. Compound meter uses numbers of 6, 9, 12. Most compound meters use notes with dots. Click on each of the hotspots below to review these concepts.

Download a quick guide about Meter. Please note that this PDF may not be fully accessible. If you require accessible text, you can find it below.

Fundamentals of Musical Rhythm and Notation

The provided text explains musical meter and time signatures, which organize rhythmic pulses into patterns of accented and unaccented beat units within measures. It distinguishes between simple and compound meters, where simple meters have beat units with two divisions and compound meters have beat units with three divisions. The time signature, consisting of two numbers, indicates the number of beats per measure and the note type serving as the beat unit for simple meters. For compound meters, the top number represents divisions per measure, and the bottom number indicates the note type of the division, with the beat unit always being a dotted note. The text also briefly touches upon beaming as a way to group notes within beats.

Challenge

Using your knowledge from the microlesson, see what you know in the self-assessment below. If you have any questions about what you have learned in this module, connect with your instructor.

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