Rhythm

RHYTHM is a powerful force. It is the pattern of movement in time. Throughout history the word rhythm has been used with poetry as well as music. The words would dictate the tempo. Everything around us has a beat, pulse, or vibration. Our heart has a beat; children have a faster heart beat than their parents or grandparents. The windshield wiper has a beat. Rhythm can tire you or invigorate you ... depending on the tempo. Listening to a steady Sousa March can motivate and stimulate one person and yet it can irritate someone else who isn't in the mood for listening to a March. In spite of what we may like to listen to, it is important to know what the types of rhythms are so you can identify them when you hear them. When listening to music it would be great if everyone knew what they were listening to. Being clueless, if you are listening to a waltz, march, salsa, ballad, hymn or whatever, is like eating a meal and not knowing if it is fish, chicken, pork or beef? Music appreciation should be taught in our public schools. Well, having said all this, we will explore the variety of rhythms that are most popular. So come along for this musical journey. Rhythm may cause you to start dancing, wave, whistle, clap or sing along, but the beat does stir the emotions.

The following three rhythms are examples of the most easy, simple, basic rhythms, first the Polka with 2 beats to a measure, the Waltz with 3 beats to a measure, and the March with 4 beats to a measure.

• Polka - This Bohemian dance originated around 1830 and became very popular throughout Europe and in America in the 19th century. It is in a moderately fast 2/4 time signature. Polka bands were formed and often used accordions.
• Waltz - A dance or musical composition in ¾ time.  The waltz is the most long-lived and continuously favored of ballroom dances. It originated in German and Austrian country dances and evolved into an elegant dance.
• March - A March keeps processions or troops in a steady tempo with strong beats to march along.  Some marches are in 6/8 time with the strong beat on the first and fourth beat. Most marches are in 4/4 time with the strong beat on the first and third beat. By the early 16th century, the marching armies of each European country had their own drum patterns.
  
  Military marches are categorized by the tempo of the drum beat to correspond to the function. A military march in the U.S. is 120 beats per minute.  There are parade marches, slow funeral marches and marches for graduation and weddings.

The next articles will include: Samba, Rhumba, Bossa Nova, Cha Cha, Tango and more.





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