We usually think of rhythm as an element of music, but it's actually found everywhere in the world around us, from the ocean tides to our own heartbeats, rhythm is essentially an event repeating regularly over time. Even the ticking of a clock itself is a sort of rhythm. But for musical rhythm, a steady string of repeating single beats is not enough. For that, we need at least one opposing beat with a different sound, which can be the unstressed off beat or the accented back beat. There are several ways to make these beats distinct, whether by using high and low drums, or long and short beats. Which ends up being heard as the main beat is not a precise rule, but like the famous Rubin's vase, can be reversed depending on cultural perception. In standard notation, rhythm is indicated on a musical bar line, but there are other ways. Remember that ticking clock? Just as its round face can trace the linear passage of time, the flow of rhythm can be traced in a circle. The continuity of a wheel can be a more intuitive way to visualize rhythm than a linear score that requires moving back and forth along the page. We can mark the beats at different positions around the circle using blue dots for main beats, orange ones for off beats, and white dots for secondary beats. Here is a basic two beat rhythm with a main beat and an opposing off beat. Or a three beat rhythm with a main beat, an off beat, and a secondary beat. And the spaces between each beat can be divided into further sub-beats using multiples of either two or three. Layering multiple patterns using concentric wheels lets us create more complex rhythms. For example, we can combine a basic two beat rhythm with off beats to get a four beat system. This is the recognizable backbone of many genres popular around the world, from rock, country, and jazz, to reggae and cumbia. Or we can combine a two beat rhythm with a three beat one. Eliminating the extra main beat and rotating the inner wheel leaves us with a rhythm whose underlying feel is three-four. This is the basis of the music of Whirling Dervishes, as well as a broad range of Latin American rhythms, such as Joropo, and even Bach's famous Chaconne. Now if we remember Rubin's vase and hear the off beats as the main beats, this will give us a six-eight feel, as found in genres such as Chacarera, and Quechua, Persian music and more. In an eight beat system, we have three layered circles, each rhythm played by a different instrument. We can then add an outermost layer consisting of an additive rhythmic component, reinforcing the main beat and increasing accuracy. Now let's remove everything except for this combined rhythm and the basic two beat on top. This rhythmic configuration is found as the Cuban cinquillo, in the Puerto Rican bomba, and in Northern Romanian music. And rotating the outer circle 90 degrees counterclockwise gives us a pattern often found in Middle Eastern music, as well as Brazilian choro, and Argentinian tango. In all of these examples, the underlying rhythm reinforces the basic one-two, but in different ways depending on arrangement and cultural context. So it turns out that the wheel method is more than just a nifty way of visualizing complex rhythms. By freeing us from the tyranny of the bar line, we can visualize rhythm in terms of time, and a simple turn of the wheel can take us on a musical journey around the world.
我們一向認為節奏只是 組成音樂的一個元素, 但事實上,節奏在世上無所不在。 從海洋的潮汐,到我們的心跳, 節奏是隨著時間持續重複的事件。 即使是時鐘的滴答聲,也是一種節奏。 但是音樂的節奏, 不只是一連串有規律的重複單拍。 我們至少需另一不同聲音的相對拍, 可以是一個輕柔的弱拍, 或是一個加重的強拍。 有些方法能讓拍子明晰, 用高低鼓製造不同的聲音, 或是長拍和短拍。 哪一拍會被聽成主拍, 並沒有確切的規則, 而像著名的魯賓花瓶, 可依文化認知而反轉。 正規樂譜的節奏標示在小節中, 但另有其他的表示方式。 還記得那個滴答作響的時鐘嗎? 如同圓鐘可表達直線進行的時間, 圓輪能表示持續的節奏。 用一個持續轉動的輪子 將節奏視覺化 比來回翻樂譜更為直觀。 我們可在圓輪的不同位置上 標示節拍, 用藍點表示主拍,橘點表示弱拍, 以及白點表示次强拍。 這是個基本的二拍節奏 包含一强拍和一對應的弱拍。 或三拍節奏: 强拍、弱拍、次强拍。 而節拍與節拍間的空檔, 可用2或3的倍數進一步細分為子拍。 將同心輪分層加疊, 我們可以創造更複雜的節奏。 例如,基礎的兩拍節奏 結合兩個弱拍, 可得到四拍節奏。 這是很多世上熟知的 流行音樂類型的骨架, 從搖滾樂, 鄉村音樂, 爵士樂, 到雷鬼音樂, 及昆比亞舞曲。 也可將兩拍的節奏結合三拍的, 刪除多餘的主拍, 轉動內側的同心輪, 會得到一個像是三四拍的節奏。 這是迴旋舞的基本節奏, 也是廣泛拉丁美洲音樂的基本節奏, 像是霍洛波舞曲, 巴赫著名的夏康舞曲。 若我們還記得魯賓花瓶, 並將弱拍聽成主拍, 我們會得到六八拍的節奏, 這節奏被運用於恰卡雷拉舞曲, 和克丘亞曲, 波斯音樂和其他的音樂類型中。 我們需要三層同心輪 構成一個八拍節奏, 每一節奏都由不同的樂器演奏。 (貝斯) (吉他) (鈴鼓) 接著在最外另加一層加疊的節奏, 加重主拍,並提高節奏的精確度。 (直笛) 只保留這組合節奏 和基礎的兩拍節奏。 這節奏型態常見於古巴音樂, 也被應用於波多黎各的朋巴, 以及北羅馬尼亞音樂。 再將外層的圓輪逆時針旋轉90度, 成為常見於中東音樂的節奏, 巴西的科羅舞曲, 和阿根廷的探戈。 以上例子的基本節奏 都加重一、二拍, 但依不同的文化背景 而有不同的加重方式。 事實上,圓輪不只是一個 將複雜節奏視覺化的俏皮方法。 除了以沈悶的五線譜小節表達法, 我們可用時間來視覺化節奏, 簡單的轉輪就能帶我們 踏上世界的音樂旅程。