Composing rhythms

[Ballaw de Quincewold]

So, for my composition class am am supoosed to compose two rhythms each about 40 measures long. One is supposed to be just a cool rhythm I like. The other is one with no limitations and any crazy stuff I can think of. For the first one I am writing rhythms in which the time signature will change every bar. it will be 4/8, 3/8, 2/8, 3/8, repeated throught the whole piece. I really like that rhythm which is why I am using it. However, my question is does anybody have any off the wall ideas for the 2nd rhythm? I can do ANYTHING I want. So I would like to hear any off the wall ideas you have.

[reith]

Yes, include a few cross-rhythms. Like 3 against 2 with some occasional 5s but regular enough for it to make rhythmic sense. Leave an extra half-beat rest or note here and there. The Rite of Spring is nice for some inspiration! Also Villa-Lobos' trio for oboe clarinet and bassoon.

Good luck.

R

[Shiva]

What was the purpose of writing a rhythm to be as crazy as you want?

I'm just interested...

[stevel]

Originally Posted by Shiva

What was the purpose of writing a rhythm to be as crazy as you want?

I'm just interested...

Shiva, this is one of the hard parts about Art: I could compose a piece in 4/4 meter, or I could compose it in 5/4 meter. Do I do it in 4/4 just because of tradition, or do it in 5/4 just to buck tradition? For me, it's about the work as a whole, and, should it be in 4/4 or 5/4. If I feel 5/4 would best suit a particular composition, I'll do it in 5/4. But I don't write in 5/4 just to not be writing in 4/4, or to make it harder, unusual, etc.

Rhythm is a very interesting and vastly under-utilized aspect of music. One might choose a bunch of crazy rhtyhms to help obscure any feeling of pulse, or to emulate music of another culture (Middle Eastern and Indian rhtyhms can be quite complex, to name but a few). But for me, I wouldn't want to write it "just to be doing it". I'd have some particular goal in mind. But I think the point of it in an exerciase could be twofold: 1. It would make the preformers really count properly, and probably expose them to patterns they were not used to, and 2. It gives the composer a chance to hear complex rhythms performed. For either party, it gives you yet one more packet of experience that you can later choose to use or not to use if the need arises. It's better I think to have the experience in your arsenal than to be sitting around saying "I want "X feeling rhythmically" and not being able to solve for X because you've only ever experienced "regular" rhtyhms/meters.

Best,
Steve

[Boneman]

It is actually quite surprising just what you can do within the 4/4 stucture. It is the accents in the music that can change the shape of a bar rather than the meter. Try writing a whole bar of semi quavers then place accents in different places?

Then vary the rhythmn within the bar but again, adding accents. This changes the shape of the bar without adding complicated time signatures.

[ascottk]

Another thing to do is change beat groupings. 4/4 normally is 4+4 eighth notes so it could be 2+3+3 or whatever. I like going from 3/4 to 6/8 or mixing those two. 5/4 could be 2+3 or 3+2.

[sneekymum]

I like the effect of two rhythms at two different speeds phasing in and out with each other.