Finding Your Own Rhythmic Phrases ..........................................................
Although it’s possible to build your entire arsenal of musical compositions on
variations of the “Shave and a Haircut” riff, it’s so much more fun and satisfy-
ing to come up with your own rhythmic phrases to build songs around. So
where can we get these rhythmic phrases? Everywhere — there’s one right
there, in the last sentence (Figure 4-11).What kind of melody would the rhythm in Figure 4-11 suggest or reject?It has been said that music is a universal language, but even rhythms on their
own, without a melody, are capable of universal communication. Think of
the talking drums in West African culture, which seem to mimic the human
voice — or the tablas of India with their huge vocabulary of variable sounds.
Though we all speak different languages, all languages have rhythms and
melodies in them. So perhaps we should say instead that language univer-
sally uses the elements of music to communicate.For now, start paying attention to the tempos and rhythmic phrases present
all around you. They will contribute much to your musical compositions,
whether you want them to or not.Exercises .........................................................................................................
- Find and notate a rhythmic phrase from your own personal
environment.
It could be anything from the rhythm of a washing machine to the sound
of your breathing or heartbeat. Maybe your engine makes an interesting
ã4
(^3) ŒŒ ¿
So,
¿ ¿ ¿
wherecan we
¿Œ ¿
get these
¿Œ ¿
rhyth mic
¿ ¿Œ
--phra ses?
Figure 4-11:
You can
often find
interesting
rhythmic
phrases
embedded
in everyday
language.
38 Part I: Basics and Rhythm