Regular musical beats {rhythm, music} can vary by slightly altering note times and by changing middle beats.
Music can have pauses {rest, music}. Rest can be for whole beat {whole rest}, half beat {half rest}, quarter beat {quarter rest}, eighth beat {eighth rest}, or sixteenth beat {sixteenth rest}.
In written music, one note {upbeat} can be before first measure.
Beats have groups {measure, music}. Measures have same number of beats. Measure type determines rhythm. First beat usually has stress. Recurrent and non-recurrent rhythm patterns over several measures can make stresses, which are the same as, complementary to, or opposite from meter.
Measures can have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 9 beats and have same stressed and unstressed beats {meter, music} {time signature}: 2/4 time, 2/2 time, 3/4 time, 3/8 time, or 4/4 time.
Measures can have two quarter notes {duple time} {2/4 time}.
Measures can have two half notes {alla breve}.
Measures can have three quarter notes {3/4 time} or three eighth notes {3/8 time} {triple time}.
Measures can have four quarter notes {quadruple time} {common time} {4/4 time}.
Measures can have two or more duple or triple meters {compound measure} {compound time}. In compound time, first-duple or first-triple first beat has stress, and second-duple or second-triple first beat has slightly less stress. Compound-meter measures can have six quarter notes {6/4 time}, six eighth notes {6/8 time}, nine eighth notes {9/8 time}, or twelve eighth notes {12/8 time}.
Rather than using one second as time unit, music has its own time unit {beat, rhythm}. Beats {whole note} can divide into half beats {half note}, quarter beats {quarter note}, eighth beats {eighth note}, or sixteenth beats {sixteenth note}. Notes can sound for any number of beats or beat fractions. Notes can have 1.5 beats {dotted note, beat}, 0.75 beats {dotted half note}, 0.375 beats {dotted quarter note}, and 0.1875 beats {dotted eighth note}.
In late 12th century, besides long notes, chants began to use short notes {brevis}. Brevis had one beat. Long had two beats. One long equaled two brevis. As in poetry, brevis and long can make two-syllable, three-syllable, or four-syllable meters: pyrrhic, iamb, trochee, spondee, tribrach, anapest, dactyl, and dispondee.
Later, chants began to use notes that combined long and brevis to make "longshort" three-beat notes. Then, trochee was long-short. Dactyl was long-short-short or longshort-short-long. Anapest was long-long-longshort. Spondee was longshort-longshort. Tribrach was short-short-short.
European time units {tempus} equal to brevis began [1300 to 1400]. Tempus had two or three parts {semibreve}, each of which had two or three parts {semibreve minimae} {minimae}. Time types were three semibreves {perfect time} or two semibreves {imperfect time}, to make four time signatures {prolation}. 2/4 time had two semibreves with two minimae. 6/8 time had two semibreves with three minimae. 3/4 time had three semibreves with two minimae. 9/8 time had three semibreves with three minimae.
Rhythm can use up {levatio} hand motions. Last phrase tone can end on levatio {metric rhythm}.
Rhythm can use down {positio} hand motions. Musical phrases can end with rest as long as positio.
A second note {accented note} can quickly play after a note.
Notes {dashed note} can be longer in time than normal beat, as indicated by a dash over or under note.
Notes {dotted note, note} can be shorter in time than normal beat, as indicated by a dot over or under note.
Two different-pitch notes can slide from one to the other {slur, music}.
Two same-pitch or different-pitch notes can link {tie, music}.
Musicians can play smoothly {legato}.
Musicians can play short sharp crisp notes {staccato}.
Musicians can increase tempo {accelerando}.
Musicians can play slow {ritardando}.
Musicians can use any tempo {rubato}.
short-short {pyrrhic, music}.
short-long {iamb, music}.
long-short {trochee, music}.
long-long or longshort-longshort {spondee, music}.
short-short-short {tribrach}.
short-short-long or long-long-longshort {anapest, music}.
long-short-short or longshort-short-long {dactyl, music}.
long-long-long-long {dispondee}.
Beats have speed {tempo}|.
extremely fast {presto}.
very fast {vivace}.
fast {allegro, tempo}.
moderately fast {allegretto}.
moderate {moderato}.
moderately slow {andante}.
slow {lento}.
very slow {adagio, tempo}.
very slow and broad {largo}.
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Date Modified: 2022.0225