along and then slipped on a patch of ice, yet managed somehow able to hold

on and continue with an unbroken stride.

This technique of putting a strong accent on a beat that is usually weak (an

up-beat, for example) is called syncopation,and can be applied to a single

note, a group of notes, or an entire melody.

Breaking up the rhythm is an excellent way to hold the listener’s attention,

and it may provide opportunities later on for different instrumentation

choices and arrangement ideas when you start to flesh out your composition.

Figure 4-4 shows another section of “Ode to Joy” in which Beethoven “skips”

with the same melody he “walked” with earlier in Figure 4-3.

Beyond the steady persistence of the underlying tempo of your composition,

there are brief sections of music called rhythmic phrases. Think of the old

“Shave and a Haircut” ditty (it’s actually a couplet), the rhythm of which is

shown in Figure 4-5.

&4

4

¿¿ ¿ ¿ ¿

Shave and a haircut

Œ ¿ ¿ Œ

two bits

Figure 4-5: Shave and a Haircut

This is

perhaps the

most widely

recognized

rhythmic

phrase ever.

&

#

4

4

(^13)
‰‰
J
œœ
3
‰‰
J
œœ
(^23)
‰‰
J
œœ
3
‰‰
J
œœ
(^33)
‰‰
j
œœ
3
j
œ‰
j
œœ
&

(^43)
‰‰
J
œ
3
J
œ‰
j
œœ Œ
(^53)
‰‰
J
œœ
3
‰‰
J
œœ
(^63)
‰‰
J
œœ
3
‰‰
J
œœ
&

(^73)
‰‰
j
œ œ
3
‰‰œj œ
8
‰‰
J
œ œ œjœ Œ
Ode to Joy
3 3
Figure 4-4:
Taking
another
look at
Beethoven’s
“Ode to
Joy” —
same notes,
different
rhythm.
34 Part I: Basics and Rhythm