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Composer_Tempo

         
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The Briefing:

Tempo is the frequency or speed of the strong beat in music. Tempo is usually constant and ranges from slow to fast. The melody in a song may be influenced by the tempo and can vary the effect of rhythm. In certain contexts, it is appropriate to change the tempo of a song to change the mood or emotion.

In the Field:

Composers sometimes experiment with different tempos when creating a composition. In a modern context, these are defined by a BPM (beats per minute). Listen to the following clips of composition with varied tempo, how does the tempo affect the feel and emotion of the music?

Sabre Dance - Aram Khachaturian
(Approximately 177bpm)

All You Need is Love - The Beatles
(Approximately 100bpm)

La Mélancolie Viennoise - Dee Yan-Key
(Approximately 60bpm)

Junior Testing Grounds:

Find a song you like on the YouTube Pitch Changer, try increasing or decreasing the tempo. How does this change the way the rhythm sounds? Why would you want to use a slower or faster tempo?

Senior Testing Grounds:

Create a rhythm on Groove Pizza and use the sliding tempo scale to change the tempo of your rhythm. How does this change the way the rhythm sounds? Why would you want to use a slower or faster tempo?

Resources:

Search Google Metronome - a perfect click creator.

BPM Online - allows you to tap a tempo and get a close BPM number.

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Career Pathway Videos
 

Shannon Mason
Composer & Sound Designer
Vancouver, BC

 

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Adrian Talens
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Vancouver, BC