Contents
First, let’s start with the fundamental concept of rhythm.
1. Beats
Fundamentally, the most basic framework of rhythmic structure is our counting.
Whether it’s a conductor’s baton, foot tapping, hand clapping, or a metronome, whatever, when you count in a steady pace, a framework for rhythm emerges.
The basis of rhythmic theory is primitive and physical. Lying down on the bed in a silent room and you start hearing a heavy kick drum consistently hitting in “four-on-the-floor”, from within your body—Your heartbeat. Thus we call each individual count, which forms the framework of rhythm, a Beat.
The term “beat” may refer to drum performance or rhythm patterns under certain contexts, but originally, it means each individual “count” of rhythms.
2. Bar/Measure
On counting beats, you don’t keep increasing the numbers infinitely. Instead, you recognize a certain length as one unit, such as “1, 2, 3, 4,” and then loop it. This means that there’s a sense of a “block”, a “unit” or a “segment”, which is called a Bar.
Or in classical sheet music, another term Measure is often used instead of “bar”. In the case above, 4 beats constitute 1 bar (measure). Defining what constitutes a “unit” has been somewhat established conventionally and also leaves a bit of room for subjective judges.
3. Time and Metre
There are many choices as to how many beats make up one bar. In popular music, a bar with 4 beats is overwhelmingly popular.
4/4 Time
It is ultra-supermajority especially in rock, hiphop, techno or any dance music. This beat structure, 4 beats in 1 bar, is called 4/4 Time.
3/4 Time
Another relatively popular metre is 3/4 Time, where 3 beats constitute 1 bar.
In 3/4 time, A conductor counts “1, 2, 3.”
3/4 Time in Classical Music
In classical music, 3/4 time is commonly associated with waltz music.
All of them follow the “1,2,3” rhythmic framework. And I believe this “Oom-pah-pah” rhythm represents one of the most typical styles you may imagine for 3/4.
3/4 Time in Folk Music
Of course, if we broaden our scope beyond Western classical music, we can find 3/4 time in various traditional music forms.
3/4 Time in Popular Music
Though never as popular as 4/4, 3/4 is used in popular music field too.
One typical usage is in folk genres, where it’s employed for its ethnic flavor. It’s especially fitting for slow ballad tunes.
Additionally, it’s also used in songs consciously styled after classical waltzes or sometimes without any particularly strong contextual significance.
Certainly, understanding the charm of 3/4 time, whether in ethnic music or waltzes, can be advantageous when creating background music for mediums like movies or games.
Metre
Thus, there are various types of rhythmic framework regarding how many beats constitute one bar. These types of arrangement is called Metre (also spelled as “Meter”). 4/4 and 3/4 are different types of metre.
Beat, bar, and metre are the three fundamental terms in rhythm. If a beat is an egg, then a bar is like an egg carton, and metre indicates the shape (size) of that pack. Just like you might buy a 10-pack or an 6-pack of eggs, in music, a bar can consist of four beats, three beats or whatever.
I’ll leave for Chapter II the detailed explanation of metre and why Time is described in the form of fractions like 4/4 or 3/4, and what the denominator 4 signifies. At this stage, there are many other things to learn, and knowing two rhythm blocking, 4/4 time and 3/4 time, is sufficient.
Irregular Time
In Popular music 4/4 Time is undoubtedly the most commonly used time, followed by the 3/4 Time. Other types of time often venture into avant-garde and non-mainstream rhythmic territory.
Here’s an example of a song “7/4” time, where 7 beats constitute 1 bar. These uncommon times are referred to as “Irregular Time”. These are particularly used in technical genres like progressive rock or jazz, and we’ll delve into this topic in Chapter II.
4. BPM
As explained earlier, each rhythmic pulse is a “beat”. The measure of tempo based on beats is called BPM (Beats Per Minute). Having many beats per minute means the tempo is faster, so a higher BPM value corresponds to a faster tempo.
BPM=60
So, what tempo do we get with a specific BPM value? It’s most straightforward when BPM=60. Since it’s based on counting per minute, BPM=60 means counting 60 times per minute, which translates to 1 count per second.
It’s quite slow, isn’t it? Well, if you count along with the ticking of a clock, it makes sense that it’s this slow. Even in a slow ballad, it’s quite unusual for a song to be this much slow.
BPM=120
This is where we double the BPM value to BPM=120, which can be considered a kind of standard tempo for popular music. It means counting twice per second, making it a much faster tempo.
This is the tempo often found in pop, rock, and dance music, among others. It’s a moderate speed, and the simplicity of “2 counts per second” makes it the default tempo in many DAWs.
BPM=180
Now, if we increase it by another 1.5 times, we get BPM=180, which feels quite up-tempo.
The perception of a song’s speed depends on how the drum patterns are played, but BPM serves as a fundamental indicator of a song’s speed. Understanding the relationship between BPM values and time allows you to calculate the song’s duration, making it possible to plan and adjust time accurately for music production with fixed durations, such as TV commercial music or anime openings.
Duality in BPM
Since the ‘Beat’, which is fundamental to rhythm theory, itself relies on our sense of counts, which are not entirely objective but rather physical indicators, there is a possibility of individual variation in interpreting BPM.
In Trap
This is particularly evident in the rhythm patterns of modern Trap music.
The example above represents the typical rhythm of Trap music. As you can hear, there are two different ways to count it, and both can be correct. If you count it quickly, it’s BPM=140, but if you count it slowly, it’s BPM=70.
Which interpretation is right?—It’s better to think of the rhythm of Trap music as having a duality of tempo. The extremely slow kick and snare suggest BPM=70, while the extremely fast hihat suggests BPM=140. By combining these two elements, Trap music achieves both a sense of heaviness and swiftness, probably making Trap beats so captivating.
In Country
In fact, besides trap, there’s other genres that exhibits BPM duality, e.g. Country music. The typical rhythm of country music can be counted in both a fast or slow beats.
It can be either BPM=200 or BPM=100. One of the reasons why country music has both sprightly and serene vibes at the same time might be due to this tempo duality. Understanding this duality is important, as, for instance, whether composing a melody based on fast BPM or slow BPM will make a considerable difference in its phrasing.
In Reggae
Reggae is another genre that has duality in its BPM.
It can be either BPM=150 or BPM=75. So the explanation for the rhythm pattern may vary according to people: Some may say that reggae drums place emphasis on beat 3 (if interpreted as fast BPM), while others may say that the emphasis is on beat 2&4 (if interpreted as slow BPM).
Rather than considering it as an “issue” of theory, let’s think that we’ve discovered one of the secrets of music. In all cases, attractive rhythmic ensembles are formed through the combination of fast and slow phrases, which can be utilized in any genres.
And please be mindful not to confine music within the systematic view like “The interpretation of BPM must be determined to be one.” Music sometimes carries a complexity that cannot be fully described by the basic theoretical framework.
