Part I: Rhythm Play-Along. Invite family and friends to join in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEOTsPUUvsY
1. Answer this: Assuming that you were 80% successful learning the most basic rhythm patterns, how many times did it take you to reach that goal, and was the video helpful?
2. Next, do this: Speak out loud and tap the rhythm by tapping the foot motion down up for each word. to the following months: June, June, June, June or May, May, May, May; It’s the same as saying the syllable “Ta” The rhythm and the beat are now one and the same or quarter note rhythms or “Ta”
Now syllabify the month of April, April, or August, august with these two syllables we produced two 8th notes to one heartbeat. The foot tap would be down-up.
Next, syllabify and clap the word January, to one heartbeat and February to one heartbeat over several beats. Now there are four rhythms to one beat. This would be considered four-16th notes to one heartbeat. If the heartbeat is in a very fast tempo, the 16th notes are super-fast if the heartbeat is much slower the rhythms are slower to fit within the heartbeat or foot-tap.
Now the month of September: Notice that it does not start on the beat, Sep of September is before the downbeat; temb-er, temb is on the downbeat. These months work the same way: October has the same rhythm as do November and December.
3. Answer this: Were you somewhat successful with syllables as rhythm? If not, do it again! Rhythm is muscle memory.
Part II
Be prepared for some fun hands-on sections. You may wish to invite a family member or friend to join in the hands-on projects.
Agbekor Bell Videos: featuring a youtube video demonstration. This graph demonstrates, through color patterns, just how the rhythms work.
The African Agbekor Bell and polyrhythm (several different rhythms being played at the same time) graph is easy to follow and for some, it may appeal to your learning style.
The Bell Graph Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irR4qlFMuyA
Watch, follow and clap along with the rhythmic color graph. This Agbekor graph is accurate and provides a wonderful example of polyrhythms. Your eyes will guide your ears. When all rhythms play at once, they create a polyrhythm. Our author suggests that western music including classical music doesn’t have polyrhythm…that’s utter nonsense, or maybe it doesn’t fit his narrative!! Our same author suggests that Western Music and especially “classical music’ does not use improvisation. That too is an absurd statement. Don’t always believe what you read even in textbooks. It may be biased and not accurately presented.
Your turn to be involved: Open the video link from above. Please clap the initial repeated bell sound while watching the graph. The pattern is “Long-short-long-long-long short long constantly repeated as an ostinato pattern. Ostinato is a repeated rhythmic and note pattern just the same as the bell-rhythm pattern. Next, keep clapping the bell rhythm as other rhythms are introduced, or you may wish to clap the other rhythms as they are introduced.
1. Answer this 2-part question: How far into the BellGraph video clapping various rhythmic patterns did it take you to achieve some success clapping correctly? Did you find the initial bell-beat pattern to be the easiest to clap, why why not? as other patterns entered?
2. Answer This: Did following and participating with this graph provide a better understanding of polyrhythms? Explain, please.
