| Rhythm in Western music evolved from a mostly linear
(melodic), “top based” form of musical architecture
to the more circular concept of groupings of beats –or pulses-
that we call “meter”. This last concept appeared rather
late in European history.
Before this development, rhythm in Western music was mostly dictated
by short rhythmic ideas interwoven in the melodic discourse. So
early western music was predominantly based on an evolving melody,
without today’s underlying concept of a short, recurring set
of beats. It is this recurrent set of beats that we call “meter.”
It is important to know that of these sets of beats the first
one is always a strong, accented beat, called the “downbeat.”
This European emphasis on the first beat would be challenged later
by African-influenced music such as jazz and Latin music.
Different meters, then, can be of two, three or four beats (or
more, with the premise that it must remain a small number) according
to the choice of the composer or the style of the piece. Because
the concept of meter (and its implicit circularity), then, comes
later in western’s music history, western music tends to be
a more linear (like prose) and less circular (like poetry) experience.
Western music is then rooted in a linear, melodic, non-recurrent
concept that dates back to the Gregorian chant of the Middle Ages.
Contrast this way of thinking about music with the drum-based world
of the African people, where circular (that is: constantly recurring)
rhythmic patterns serve as a base for chant-like singing and dancing.
For the purpose of this exercise in this module we may think of
Western music as specializing in complex melodies, and a still more
complex superimposition of melodies. This in turn would give birth
to a body of complex rules and laws governing these superimposition:
we think of them as the rules of polyphony. From the intricate rules
governing the use of simultaneous melodies (which means you have
to control several different pitches sounding at the same time)
the concept of harmony is born. It turns out that harmony and harmonic
progression is a distinctly European invention, one not found in
any other culture.
African music specializes instead in complex and recurring rhythmic
patterns played with drums, hands and/or vocal sounds, which may
or may not include a melody. Complexity in African music is achieved
by the subtle interaction of different rhythmic patterns played
simultaneously. We call this polyrhythmia.
Western music’s original concept of rhythm was too simple
when compared to African music.
African music did not contain any concept of harmony or polyphony
(we are differenciating the harmonious heterophony of some African
music with the more architecturally built polyphony of the west)
To find out about the drum set visit: http://www.drummerworld.com/drummersound.html
To find out about other traditional instruments associated with
jazz visit: http://ecr.lausd.k12.ca.us/clubs/Jazz/Foreground.htm
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Listen to a few examples of religious music from
the Middle Ages:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001VIR/qid=1077916487/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/104-6729694-1547129
Listen to a few examples of Renaissance Polyphony (simultaneous
melodies): http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/- /B00000J9GR/qid=1077916631/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-6729694-1547129?v=glance&s=classical
Listen to a few examples of dances from the Renaissance:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004YMTN/ qid=1077916631/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/104-6729694-1547129
Now listen to some examples of African music (one of these excerpts
is a telling example of European influence in African music, can
you tell which one it is?):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000034P2/ ref=pd_krex_sdu_sims/104-6729694-1547129
Now listen to a few examples of African and Afro-Caribbean drums:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/- /B000006N1G/qid=1077917146/sr=1-14/ref=sr_1_14/104-6729694-1547129?v=glance&s=music |