►Click here to download the set of Composer Worksheets
The Briefing: Rhythm is the arrangement of sound and silence over time. When composing a piece of music, your rhythm choices can have a wide effect on the emotion, direction, and overall feel of a piece of music. Rhythms can be simple or complex, repetitive or changing. When writing for multiple instruments, your rhythms do not have to be the same; rhythm can be layered. While often the rhythm is thought about as percussion, your other instruments will also use rhythm to change how they are performed. |
|
In the Field: Listen to the following clips of compositions where rhythm plays an important role: Gustav Holst: The Planets, Mov’t I: Mars, the Bringer of War |
|
Junior Testing Grounds: Visit the Chrome Music Lab and try out the rhythm machine. Experiment by adding many sounds or fewer sounds and think about how it feels as you make changes.
|
|
Senior Testing Grounds: Visit Groove Pizza and build a rhythm pattern that fits the theme of your chosen clip.
|
|
Resources: What is MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)? - Wikipedia What is a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)? - Wikipedia |
|
Side Quest: Export the information of the rhythm pattern created with Groove Pizza as a MIDI file, and import it into another DAW (for example, GarageBand, Band Lab or Ableton) so you can keep working on it! |
|
Industry Voice: If you like, listen to the following people working in the industry describe how to use rhythm.
|
Next up, click here for Tempo! |
Career Pathway Videos
Shannon Mason
Composer & Sound Designer
Vancouver, BC
Caitlin Yu
Head of Quality Assurance
Phoenix Labs
Burnaby, BC
Adrian Talens
Freelance Composer
Vancouver, BC
What is it like to work in Interactive & Digital Media?
Where can I go to college or university to prepare for a career in IDM?
The Art Institute of Vancouver
Where can I learn to code?