MILTONOTES

An open-eared exploration of composition in theory & practice.

Meters, Patterns & Polymeter

Milton Mermikides m.mermikides@surrey.ac.uk

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Week 1 Review The point of them

Lecture 1 Compositional Exercises

Exercise 1: Compose an introduction to a piece where no pulse gives way to ambiguous and then clear pulse Exercise 2: Compose a musical section and arrange it with normal, half and double-time feel.

Tempo III Tempo I

Tempo I Tempo II

Exercise 3: Construct this tempo map in a short piece. Tempo I,II,III should exist in rational relationships of your choosing, and modulations should be pivotal. Complete with melodic and harmonic elements.

Exercise 4a: Sequence this metric modulation passage, using melodic and harmonic elements. 4b: Design, notate as above and sequence your own metric modulation sequence Exercise 5: Create a sequence with two superimposed tempi Exercise 6:Write a 4-bar groove in 4/4 and reinterpret in 5/8 or 5/4 and 7/8 and 7/4 Be fully aware of 2 and 3 groupings

The Music There Is

@miltonline

The Music The

The Music Youve Heard

Make it a mission to expand this

Your best moves The Music You Like and Understand The Music You Like but Dont Understand

Educational

Inspiring

The Music You Dont Like But Understand

The Music You Dont Like and Dont Understand

Ideal

Understand = anything from being virtuosic in the idiom to appreciating the mechanics, skill and artistry within it

NB. this circle is a continuum not 4 distinct spaces Theres always more to learn and dont take your musical taste too seriously

.
So make this bigger, and move left and up within it.

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Meter A Hierarchy of Pulse

The concept of pulse - an underlying unit of rhythmic regularity - has been established in Lecture 1. This regularity may occur at different levels, a concept that can be exploited in, for example half-time or doubletime feel, but there is usually one predominant tapalong pulse. However, this string of pulses - beats - are rarely entirely equal. There is a hierarchy.

Meter Types of Meters, Beats and Bars

Pulses or beats almost always exist in logical groups and in a hierarchy of strengths. This meter or time signature indicates how many beats - and what type of beat exist in each measure. For example 4/4 120bpm The crotchet is the predominant common pulse and they are grouped in 4 beats. 7/8 would imply that quavers are the common beats and are grouped in 7s

Meter Types of Meters, Beats and Bars

What determines the groups? Dynamic emphasis Rhythmic repetition Harmonic and melodic implications

Meter Listening and transcribing

What determines a bar? What repetition, harmonic and melodic exist? Can the rhythm be broken logically into 2-beat and 3-beat division. Clave 16 examples

Meter Son Clave

Meter Rumba Clave

Meter Bossa Clave

3-2

2-3 ( )

Meter Bulgarian Folk Dance

The exploration of meter in folk music is hugely extensive. In Bulgaria folk music alone, a rich history of dance forms has amassed many metric forms. Many may be considered additive, formed by an extension of beats. Here are 5 to transcribe

Paydushko horo Chetvorno horo Rachenitsa Petrunino horo Yovino Horo

Meter Bulgarian Folk Dance

The exploration of meter in folk music is hugely extensive. In Bulgaria folk music alone, a rich history of dance forms has amassed many metric forms. Here are 5: Transcribe your own.

Paydushko horo (2+3; 5/16 or 5/8) Chetvorno horo 3+2+2 or 3+4; 7/16) Rachenitsa (2+2+3 or 4+3; 7/16) Petrunino horo (3+3+2+3=11/16) Yovino Horo (3+3+ 2+2+3+ 2+2+3+ 2+2+2+2+3+2+2=35/16)

Meter Playing with beat divisions: Hemiola

A meter can stay constant while groupings change. A hemiola is a musical gure where 2 groups of 3 notes are followed or replaced with 3 groups of 2, implying-for example - a 6/8 to 3/4 change

Meter Comps
Here we look at a more complex rhythmic interaction from the Flamenco style

The Flamenco comps is a metric structure There are several types- many of them containing 12 beats. They are fully absorbed by the performers and this anchored, mutually felt rhythmic pattern allows for a high degree of rhythmic sophistication

Meter Comps Soleares

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Start This is the basic pattern but there is a huge repertoire of counter-rhythm hand claps, endings and rhythmic devices

Meter Comps Siguriyas

8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Long Start Short Long Short Short

A rhythmic mode of Soleares

Meter Comps Alegrias

12 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 +
Start

Exercise 1: Clave/Compas. Select or better still, research/transcribe a metric template (from Bulgarian, South-American, Flamenco or other sources) and construct a groove/piece using the rhythmic structure.

Meter Changing Meter

Meters can change, sometimes this is quite natural and can go unnoticed simply adapting to accommodate a melody. Beatles All you Need is Love. 7/4 (or 4 + 3) bars are used very naturally

Meter Changing Meter

An example from the classical repertoire is Mussorgskys Pictures at an Exhibition (Promenade) Notice how a simple melodic motif is developed perfectly accessibly using changing meters.

Exercise 2: Compose or select a clear melodic phrase, and use meters of different lengths to develop and reinterpret the melody into a longer piece.

Meter Changing Meter

Meter changes can be extreme lurching the pulse and messing with your musical brain. Dream Theater Erotomania From guitar entry

2x 6x

5/4 (3 bars) + 9/8 (1 bar) 5/4 (3 bars) + 9/8 (1 bar) 5/4 (3 bars) + 3/4 (2 bars) + 2/4 (1 bar) 5/4 (3 bars) + 3/4 (2 bars) + 2/4 (1 bar) repeats 11/8 (3+3+3+2) 10/8 (3+3+2+2) 4/4 (2 bars) Solo in 5/4 etc.

Meter Changing Meter

Complex changing meters has a long history, lets look at the Sacricial Dance from Stravinskys seminal 1913 ballet The Rite of Spring

Exercise 3: Using the Sacricial Dance (pick at least 2 consecutive pages) as a metric template, compose meter-specic material, and then compose material that occurs less dependently on the structure. The overall metric implication may well be-for example 4/4 -with Stravinskys meter pattern embedded in some layer, or the meter pattern may be overt.

Polymeter (not polyrhythm)

Multiple meters may be implied at the same time. SImple examples may be a delay set to a triplet or dotted quaver. Often, during solos, a soloist can use phrase that imply different meters over an underlying groove, or rhythmic hits (Hancock -Hang Up Your Hang Ups 5:30 onwards) However many compositional examples exist even from pop music: The Cars Touch and Go has in the verse a 5/4 bass and drum pattern and a simultaneous 4/4 in the vocals and keys. The use of polymeter in 20th Century classical and contemporary metal is wide-spread. For example, Ligetis Arc-en-ciel implies different and changing meters (as well as polyrhythms) in each hand. Here are some more examples.

Polymeter
Hindemith - String Quartet no.3-II (0:05-0:19) analysis by Timothy Daust

Polymeter
Messiaen - La Verbe (2:18-2:23) analysis by Timothy Daust

Polymeter
Meshuggah - Rational Gaze (0:00-0:29) all Meshuggah analyses by Jonathan Pieslak

PolyMeter
Meshuggah - Stengah (0:16-0:48)

PolyMeter
Meshuggah - Humiliative (3:50-4:04)

PolyMeter
Meshuggah - New Millenium Cyanide Christ (0:00-0:25)

Benjamin Britten, Peter Grimes -Interlude IV

All Britten analyses 2008 Timothy Daoust

4+4+3 ostinato

Benjamim Britten, Peter Grimes Interlude IV (1:16)

Benjamim Britten, Peter Grimes Interlude IV (1:16)

Same passage re-scored

Exercise 4: Compose a piece with at least 2 simultaneous metric implications, make sure you understand how it interlocks.

Lecture 2 Compositional Exercises

Exercise 1: Clave/Compas. Select or better still, research/transcribe a metric template (from Bulgarian, South-American, Flamenco or other sources) and construct a groove/piece using the rhythmic structure.

Exercise 2: Compose or select a clear melodic phrase, and use meters of different lengths to develop and reinterpret the melody into a longer piece. Exercise 3: Using the Sacricial Dance (pick at least 2 consecutive pages) as a metric template, compose meter-specic material, and then compose material that occurs less dependently on the structure. The overall metric implication may well be-for example 4/4 -with Stravinskys meter pattern embedded in some layer, or the meter pattern may be overt. Exercise 4: Compose a piece with at least 2 simultaneous metric implications, make sure you understand how it interlocks.