Rhythm & accompaniment

Nearly all the other concepts we have discussed here deal with the what of music. What notes, what chords, which scale, etc. Here, we begin the examination of when. Rhythm. 

Rhythm is perhaps the most blatantly mathematical aspect of music. For, just as with seconds on a clock, it can be endlessly divided, added, and subdivided. 

Let us lay the foundation for any discussion on rhythm: understanding time signature. 

Here we have the most common Western time signature, 4/4. 

The entire breakdown: Top number=number of beats in a measure. Bottom number=what type of note equals one beat. 

More explanation, and I would even say a key, is needed to make full use of the bottom number. 

1=Whole Note=𝅝

2=Half Note=𝅗𝅥

4=Quarter Note=𝅘𝅥

8=Eighth Note=𝅘𝅥𝅮

So, in, you can have at most 4 quarter notes in a measure, or two half notes, or eight eight notes. If this is where rhythmic theory ended, we’d live in a simpler, less musically fulfilling world. But it’s not. 

As any mathematically inclined readers will deduce, these time signatures can, theoretically, be endlessly stacked atop each other with different accompanying instruments to form what we call polyrhythms. Real-world example: guitar is playing in 4/4, bass is playing in ¾. One measure is still contained in the same number of seconds, but one instrument plays more or less notes in it than another. 

Regardless of the time signature or instrument playing in it, the other, more subtle side of rhythm is the concept of emphasis. When listening to a piece of music, a listener can often deduce the time signature by listening to the stressed and unstressed moments in the composition. Essentially, this just means two out of four beats may be louder than the others, or three out of six, and so on. Some examples of common emphasis that communicates the time signature (They can usually be summed up as evenly alternating emphasis):

: Emphasis on 1 and 3 or 2 and 4

: 1 and 4

: 1

To expound on emphasis, we must examine accompaniment. While rhythm is necessarily part of melody and harmony, accompaniment is the more purely rhythmic support of that melody and harmony. For instance, a bongo playing behind a trio of flutes provides rhythmic accompaniment. Accompaniment, almost universally, is behind, quieter, or supportive to the melody, harmony, etc. Its role is to, surprisingly enough, simply accompany. 

This example can clearly illustrate emphasis. While the flutes may choose less cyclical, predicable rhythmic emphasis, the bongo player can choose to smack the bongos harder on the 1 and 3, and of 2, or however they choose. 

So, for the developing musician, why should you bother mastering these concepts? I’ll address the answer from a few perspectives. 

First, for those in an ensemble situation, grasping the language of rhythm and accompaniment is completely vital when communicating with fellow musicians about how to gel with each other and develop their performance. Every member of the best performing acts speak fluent musical jargon with each other, so every piece is presented as though from a single entity. 

For the composer, understanding rhythm is necessary when notating their music, or even for practicing in a way that develops a repeatable, recognizable composition. Listeners want to have a beat in their head that they can recall to mind, based on the employed time signature and accompaniment. 

Finally, for an improvisational player, experience examining the math and feel behind different rhythms will manifest in more direction and confidence while improvising. If a musician knows the feel of in his favorite pieces, he can easily utilize it in his own compositions. 

So, take rhythm seriously, explore increasingly complex polyrhythms, and develop your accompaniment. It’s necessary to achieve that next level of musical proficiency.