Rhythm in music explained- How to get rhythm
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Rory, a percussionist and composer, explores the concept of rhythm and its development. He believes everyone has an innate rhythmic ability that can be enhanced like a muscle. Rory introduces exercises using a metronome and language to build an internal sense of rhythm, emphasizing the importance of practice, audiation, and synchronizing movement for musicality.
Takeaways
- 🎶 Rhythm is a natural ability that can be developed like a muscle, and everyone has it.
- 🕒 Time is a fundamental element in rhythm, as music exists in time unlike other art forms.
- 💡 The beat is the foundation of rhythm, and a metronome is a useful tool to develop a sense of pulse.
- 📈 Metronome speed is measured in beats per minute (BPM), and digital metronomes are accessible through apps and web browsers.
- 📚 Rhythm can be thought of like language, with syllables corresponding to beats in a musical pulse.
- 📝 Practicing rhythm involves vocalizing rhythms, counting out loud, and synchronizing cognitive movement.
- 🎵 Words with different syllable counts can be used to practice rhythm, starting with simple words like 'coffee' and progressing to more complex ones.
- 🎹 After vocalizing rhythms, practice playing them on an instrument or clapping to internalize the rhythm.
- 🚶♂️ Walking is a common cadence for movement, similar to counting numbers, and can help in developing an internal sense of rhythm.
- 🤔 Audiation is the scientific term for thinking rhythms in our head, which is crucial for developing an internal sense of rhythm.
- 🌐 Different languages and music styles have unique cadences, reflecting the diversity in rhythmic expression.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video?
-The main focus of the video is to explore the concept of rhythm, how it can be developed, and how it can be learned to improve musicality and consistency in music.
What is the speaker's belief about rhythm and its relation to everyone?
-The speaker believes that everyone has rhythm and that it is like a muscle that needs to be developed, similar to how we learn and develop different languages.
What is the definition of rhythm as mentioned in the video?
-Rhythm is defined as a sound or event that repeats regularly over time, with time being the crucial element as music exists in time.
What is the relationship between beat and rhythm?
-The beat is at the heart of rhythm. A single beat that repeats at regular time intervals is called a pulse, which is the foundation on which rhythm is played.
What is a metronome and how is it used to develop rhythm?
-A metronome is a device that produces an audible click at regular time intervals, which can be adjusted in speed (measured in beats per minute, or BPM). It is used to develop a sense of pulse and practice rhythms at different tempos.
How can language be used to develop rhythm?
-Language can be used to develop rhythm by applying the principles of language to building rhythms. Words can be broken down into syllables and applied to a musical pulse, creating a rhythm.
What is the term 'audiation' and how does it relate to rhythm?
-Audiation is the musical equivalent of thinking in language. It involves vocalizing rhythms in our head, which helps develop an internal sense of rhythm and is crucial for playing rhythmically.
What is the common cadence across all accents in all languages that can be used to develop rhythm?
-The common cadence across all accents in all languages is the pattern with which we are taught to count numbers, which can be used to develop an internal sense of pulse.
What is the purpose of practicing with a metronome?
-Practicing with a metronome helps to identify a solid, fixed pulse, which is essential for building rhythms and developing a consistent sense of timing in music.
How can body percussion be used to develop an internal sense of rhythm?
-Body percussion, such as stomping, tapping knees, or clapping, can be coordinated with a pulse to practice rhythmic movement. This helps develop coordination and control, crucial for playing rhythmically and in time.
What is the importance of counting out loud while practicing rhythm?
-Counting out loud while practicing rhythm helps to develop an internal metronome or sense of pulse. It is a simple method for practicing simple rhythms and can be more challenging for complex ones.
Outlines
🎶 Understanding Rhythm: Natural Talent or Learned Skill?
This paragraph introduces the concept of rhythm and the debate over whether it is an innate ability or something that can be developed. The speaker, Rory, a percussionist and composer, suggests that everyone has a natural rhythmic ability, which can be enhanced through practice, similar to learning a language. He emphasizes the importance of developing an internal sense of rhythm, control, and consistency, and offers simple exercises to help viewers improve their rhythmic skills. Rory also introduces the concept of the beat and pulse, explaining how they form the foundation of rhythm and how a metronome can be used as a tool to practice and develop rhythm.
📚 Developing Rhythm Through Language and Counting
In this paragraph, Rory explores the idea of rhythm as a language, where syllables can be mapped onto beats to create rhythmic patterns. He uses examples like 'coffee' and 'London' to demonstrate how words with two syllables can be used to practice rhythm. Rory suggests that practicing with a metronome and vocalizing rhythms internally, a process known as audiation, helps in developing an internal sense of rhythm. He also discusses the importance of counting out loud and using body percussion to synchronize movement with rhythm, which can aid in internalizing the rhythm and improving musical performance.
🚶♂️ Synchronizing Movement with Rhythm
Rory continues the discussion on rhythm by emphasizing the role of synchronized movement in developing an internal sense of rhythm. He suggests that walking serves as a common cadence for movement, similar to how counting numbers is a common cadence for language. To illustrate this, Rory introduces an exercise where viewers use body percussion to mark a four-beat pattern, starting with a stomp, followed by a knee tap, chest tap, and a clap. He advises practicing this pattern with a metronome and gradually increasing the speed to build rhythmic coordination and control. Rory also mentions the use of a metronome app with a vocalized count for singers and players, highlighting the importance of practice in ingraining rhythmic patterns.
🏋️♂️ The Importance of Practice in Mastering Rhythm
The final paragraph wraps up the video by reiterating the importance of regular and consistent practice in mastering rhythm. Rory compares rhythm development to brain training, noting that it takes time to ingrain different rhythms. He encourages viewers to practice identifying the pulse, vocalizing rhythms, counting out loud, and synchronizing cognitive movement to develop their internal sense of rhythm. Rory concludes by inviting viewers to ask questions, share thoughts, and subscribe to his channel for more music-related content, promising to see them in the next video.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Rhythm
💡Beat
💡Metronome
💡Pulse
💡Language
💡Syllables
💡Internal Sense of Rhythm
💡Audiation
💡Cadence
💡Body Percussion
💡Practice
Highlights
Rhythm is a natural ability that can be developed like a muscle.
Everyone has rhythm, and it can be improved through practice.
Rhythm is defined as a sound or event that repeats regularly over time.
The beat is the foundation of rhythm, similar to a pulse in a clock ticking.
A metronome is a helpful tool for developing a sense of pulse and rhythm.
Rhythm can be compared to language, with syllables corresponding to beats.
Exercises using words and syllables can help develop an internal sense of rhythm.
Vocalizing rhythms internally, or 'audiation', is crucial for developing rhythmic ability.
Counting out loud while practicing can help internalize the rhythm.
Different languages have different cadences, which can be reflected in their music.
The common cadence for movement is walking, which can help find the pulse in music.
Body percussion exercises can help synchronize movement with rhythm.
Practicing with a metronome and counting out loud builds an internal sense of pulse.
Complex rhythms can be broken down and practiced using simple counting and movement.
Regular and consistent practice is key to developing rhythmic ability.
The video provides exercises and tips for improving rhythm through various methods.
Transcripts
why is it that some people just seem to
be naturally
brilliant at rhythm is rhythm natural or
is rhythm something that we can learn
in this video i'm going to explore the
idea of rhythm and how we can develop
our internal sense of rhythm and develop
consistency
control and in turn musicality through
building a stronger
sense of rhythm now my belief is that
everyone has rhythm and that rhythm
is like a muscle and it's a muscle that
needs to be developed we learn
and develop the rhythm muscle the same
way that we learn and develop
different languages we're working
towards fluency with
lots of different rhythms in this video
i'm going to give you a handful of
simple exercises to develop your
internal
sense of rhythm oh yeah i'm rory by the
way i
and i'm a percussionist and composer
currently based in london originally
from ireland
and i have some music tutorials and
documentaries over on my youtube channel
if you'd like to check
those out at some point though back to
this video and let's start
by exploring what rhythm actually is
[Music]
rhythm is a sound or event that repeats
regularly
over time and time is the important
element in that definition because music
exists
in time unlike a book or a painting or
sculpture
which is timeless it just stands or sits
there
music exists in time there are so many
words that we use interchangeably around
rhythm
which can sometimes make it a little bit
confusing
let's first look at beat
at the heart of rhythm lies the beat and
beat
is the foundation on which the rhythm is
played on
a single beat that repeats at regular
time intervals
is called a pulse and you can see that
represented in these sound waves of a
clock ticking which repeats evenly
over time often the pulse is the part of
the music you
instinctively tap your foot to and this
is the crucial
ingredient we need to develop our
perception of in order to improve
our sense of rhythm now there's an
incredibly helpful tool that you can use
to develop your sense of pulse
called a metronome a metronome is a
device that produces
an audible click at regular time
intervals which can be slowed down
and sped up by you the person using it
speed
on the metronome is measured by the
number of beats in a minute
which we shorten to bpm a clock
has 60 beats in a minute at one second
intervals
so we can set a metronome at one second
intervals which would be
60 bpm if we have two equal beats per
second
that would be 120 bpm 120 beats
in one minute two beats on each second
and you can quickly move between
different bpm using a metronome without
doing lots
of boring mathematics and i'm personally
not very good at math so that is helpful
for me
nowadays metronomes are mostly digital
and there are great apps for phones and
devices to download
and even metronomes you can access
through the web browser you're watching
this video on right now i've linked all
of these below in the description box in
the case you want to download those
and whilst you're down there if you're
enjoying this video make sure to give it
a thumbs up and subscribe to my youtube
channel
metronome is the best way to identify a
solid
fixed pulse from which to practice with
and to build rhythms on
now as i said earlier in the video i
like to think about rhythm
like language and when we apply the
principles of language to building
rhythms
we can develop a much deeper
understanding of how different rhythms
work
and how rhythms are actually built of
course
language is the means through which we
communicate using a voice
using words those words can be broken
down into syllables
when we apply those syllables to a pulse
a musical pulse on the metronome
we create a rhythm let's start with
words made up of two syllables
like coffee london happy and so on
they all have two beats so by linking
the number of syllables to the number of
beats
we are tapping into a whole language of
different rhythmic
possibilities let's take the word coffee
to start with not least because i like
drinking coffee but with two
hard syllables coffee we're going to
apply
coffee to a pulse which we're going to
set up on the metronome and let's start
with
70 bpm to start with
that's our pulse we're saying the word
coffee
with this pulse this click on the
metronome coffee
coffee coffee coffee coffee
coffee coffee so we've applied
the word to the pulse first that's the
first part of this exercise
next we're going to clap the syllables
of coffee with the pulse
we're going to get that pulse going
coffee coffee we're going to add
clapping
coffee
coffee coffee coffee coffee
so we're saying and playing the
syllables and beats
together at the same time next up
we're gonna just play coffee
we're gonna say it in our head so play
don't say
now when we are thinking the words and
playing the beats
this is where the magic happens this is
the internal sense of rhythm that we
want to tap
into whilst we are practicing now of
course you can take
three syllable words galloping galloping
galloping galloping
four syllables piccadilly piccadilly
piccadilly piccadilly five syllables
hippopotamus hippopotamus slipper
potting mississippi and so
on of course you can make combinations
different words
the next stage once you've vocalized the
rhythms practice playing them
on your instrument so here's an exercise
on your instrument pick a note or chord
or just clap
with me we're going to do this exercise
together make sure
to follow this order first just say the
words
with the click second say and play
unless of course you're singing
or you're playing a wind instrument uh
skip straight to stage three
which is play the rhythm don't say it
they'll keep saying the words in your
head okay so
70 bpm we'll say piccadilly four
syllables yeah
piccadilly piccadilly piccadilly
piccadilly piccadilly pick it tilly pick
it dilly
so we're just saying it first that's the
first stage second stage
playing and saying second stage is
playing
and saying
second stage moving on to the third
which is
just plank no sink
now the idea of saying the words
internally in your head is crucial
this is where we start to develop our
internal sense of rhythm
this is what we want and this is what
makes us in turn
rhythmical or good at rhythm this is the
internal clock that all great musicians
carry around and use in their
performances
ask any musician about the importance of
internal pulse
and internalizing rhythm and see what
they say to you now the scientific word
for this action this thing of vocalizing
the rhythms in our head
is called audiation this is the musical
equivalent of thinking in language for
example like when we're
having a conversation with someone we
must retain the vocal sounds
of that person long enough to recognize
and give meaning to the words that they
are saying
now continuing with this idea of rhythm
being like a language
different accents within different
languages have different cadence points
and as you can imagine different
languages have entirely different
cadences
as in different timing or flow it's
actually
pretty fascinating to see how this is
reflected in different music from
different places
that kind of feels like an entirely
different topic for another day
though if you're interested in language
and music i would encourage you to check
out my
documentary hidden drummers of india in
part one i meet an incredible percussion
guru called gatan gerita
udupa who taught me about the carnatic
music system where the language of
conical is what's used to teach and to
share and express rhythm
now though going back to cadence and why
that's important for rhythm
what we're doing today which is working
on our internal sense of rhythm
there's one common cadence across all
accents in all languages
and that is the pattern with which we
are taught to count
numbers
now you know how to count and you are
fluent in your own language
so by counting over the beats as you
play out loud
over time you will start to develop your
own internal
metronome or internal sense of pulse
which we spoke about earlier
now let's take a four beat rhythm
tea coffee piccadilly tea
tea
we're going to play that rhythm we're
going to get comfortable with it i
encourage you to try this at home as
well
if you're struggling with that rhythm
don't forget the three steps say it
first
tea coffee picky tilly tea then same
play
coffee pickle tea then just play
of course thinking about those words
thinking about those rhythms whilst
you're doing it
then we're going to apply this idea of
counting out lead
four beats of course you've got one two
three
four beats in this pattern i'm gonna
play the pattern i'm gonna count
out loud as i'm playing it
one two three four
counting out loud whilst i play it of
course we can practice that with our
metronome practicing with the pulse
that was our rhythm we're gonna count
out loud
one two three four
one two three four
one two three four
and so on now applying the principle of
counting out loud
is simple for simple rhythms though much
more difficult for complex and
complicated rhythm
[Music]
two patterns four one
two three four one
two three four one
two three four when players and singers
you're probably thinking
what about me how do i do this this
exercise is going to be a little more
abstract for you
though i think still worth working on
and i recommend using a metronome app
that comes with the option for a
vocalized count
i use metro timer for iphone which i
find really helpful
pop this through an amp or speaker and
it's a really effective tool
one two three four
one two three four one two three four
one two three four one two three four
one two
synchronized movement is another really
important
element in developing your internal
sense of rhythm
playing a musical instrument after all
is just a series of controlled movements
and actions
this next exercise helps us to
coordinate how we move
and how we move rhythmically whilst the
common cadence for language is counting
numbers
you could say the common cadence for
movement would be
walking it's probably why many people
tap their foot
while listening to music or playing
music or indeed trying to find the pulse
in a piece of music so i want you to try
this exercise with me we're gonna take a
four beat pattern that we're gonna mark
out using our body using body percussion
so the first beat we're gonna do stomp
stomp second beat we're gonna do knee
knee just gonna tap our knees third
we're gonna tap our chest chest
chest and then the fourth we're just
going to do a clap so all together it
goes stomp
stomp knee knee chest chest drop
now we're going to get going with pulse
one two three four one two three four
one we're gonna get that going
with a pulse on a regular click we're
gonna set the metronome to 70 bpm to
start with nice and steady
so goals stomp stomp knee knee
chest chest clap stop stomp knee knee
chest chest clap stomp stomp knee knee
chest chest cap so get comfortable with
that pattern first if you need to pause
the video
get that pattern really flowing get it
really smooth we're gonna
get things going a little bit more
tricky now okay so stomp stomp
knee knee chest chest clap stomp stomp
knee
knee chest chest crap next time no clap
no clap there imagine it
you can say clap in your head
next time no chest stomp stomp knee knee
stomp stompy
next time no knee
stomp stump next time no stomp
clap we're sitting in our head
visualizing it
so you can come back in with the clack
clap even
some chest chest chest chest
clap
next time stomp stomp
stomp stomp
that was a pretty simple example but you
can try different
combinations of actions like maybe click
clap
knee knee stomp stomp click
clap knee stomp stomp adding and
subtracting the different actions to the
click
start slow and build up speed and
remember
you're building that audition where
you're visualizing saying
patterns in your head this is where we
really start to tap
into our internal sense of rhythm by
practicing these exercises you are
developing your coordination
and control which are both crucial for
playing rhythmically and
in time now identifying the pulse
vocalizing rhythms
counting out loud as you practice and
synchronizing cognitive movement
they're all very well though rhythm will
only come
with practice regular and consistent
practice
think of it like brain training it takes
time to ingrain
different rhythms i hope that this video
has been interesting or maybe even
helpful and don't hesitate to ask me any
questions or share your thoughts in the
comments section below
and if you like this video you can hit
the like button and make sure to
subscribe to my channel for more music
related content in the future
and until then everybody take care and i
shall see you
in the next video bye
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