Rhythm syllables
Encyclopedia
There are various ways to count music
, from simple number
s to counting syllable
s to beat placement syllables. Here are a few.
Ta Titi system:
This system allows the value of each note to be clearly represented no matter its placement within the beat/measure.
The folk song lyric
"This Old Man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb, with a knick-knack paddy whack, give my dog a bone, this old man came rolling home" would be said, "titi ta titi ta titi titi titi ta-tiri titi tiriti tiritiri ta titi titi titi ta"
du / du-deh / du-ta-de-ta system! Need more info.
Down-ee up-ee – beats are down, up-beats are up, subdivisions are “ee” but… need more info!
The folksong lyric "This Old Man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb, with a knick-knack paddy whack, give my dog a bone, this old man came rolling home" would be said, "down up down down up down down up down up down up down up-ee down up down-ee-up down-ee-up-ee down down up down up down up down."
Takadimi system: The beat is always called ta. In simple meters
, the division and subdivision are always ta-di and ta-ka-di-mi. Any note value can be the beat, depending on the time signature
. In compound meters (wherein the beat is generally notated with dotted note
s), the division and subdivision are always ta-ki-da and ta-va-ki-di-da-ma.
The note value
does not receive a particular name; the note’s position within the beat gets the name. This system allows children to internalize a steady beat and to naturally discover the subdivisions of beat, similar to the down-ee-up-ee system.
The folksong lyric "This Old Man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb, with a knick-knack paddy whack, give my dog a bone, this old man came rolling home" would be said, "tadi ta tadi ta tadi tadi tadi tadimi tadi takadi takadimi ta tadi tadi tadi ta."
Ultimately, musician
s count using numbers, “ands” and vowel
sounds. Downbeats within a measure are called 1, 2, 3… Upbeats are represented with a plus sign and are called “and” (i.e. 1 + 2 +), and further subdivisions receive the sounds “ee” and “uh” (i.e. 1 e + a 2 e + a). Musicians do not agree on what to call triplets: some simply say the word triplet (“trip-a-let”), or another three-syllable word (like pineapple or elephant) with an antepenultimate accent. Some use numbers along with the word triplet (i.e. “1-trip-let”). Still others have devised sounds like “ah-lee” or “la-li” added after the number (i.e. 1-la-li, 2-la-li).
The folksong lyric "This Old Man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb, with a knick-knack paddy whack, give my dog a bone, this old man came rolling home" in 2/4 time would be said, "one and two one and two one and two and one and two and uh one and two ee and one ee and uh two one and two and one and two."
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, from simple number
Number
A number is a mathematical object used to count and measure. In mathematics, the definition of number has been extended over the years to include such numbers as zero, negative numbers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and complex numbers....
s to counting syllable
Syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
s to beat placement syllables. Here are a few.
Ta Titi system:
- Whole NoteWhole notethumb|right|250px|Figure 1. A whole note and a whole rest.In music, a whole note or semibreve is a note represented by a hollow oval note head, like a half note , and no note stem . Its length is equal to four beats in 4/4 time...
: Toe / ta-ah-ah-ah - Dotted Half Note: Toom / ta-ah-ah
- Half NoteHalf noteIn music, a half note or minim is a note played for half the duration of a whole note and twice the duration of a quarter note...
: Too / ta-ah - Dotted Quarter Note: Tom / ta-a
- Quarter NoteQuarter noteA quarter note or crotchet is a note played for one quarter of the duration of a whole note . Often people will say that a crotchet is one beat, however, this is not always correct, as the beat is indicated by the time signature of the music; a quarter note may or may not be the beat...
: Ta - 1 Eighth NoteEighth notethumb|180px|right|Figure 1. An eighth note with stem facing up, an eighth note with stem facing down, and an eighth rest.thumb|right|180px|Figure 2. Four eighth notes beamed together....
: Ti - 2 Eighth Notes: Ti-Ti
- Eighth Note Triplet: Triple-Ti
- 2 Sixteenth NotesSixteenth notethumb|right|Figure 1. A sixteenth note with stem facing up, a sixteenth note with stem facing down, and a sixteenth rest.thumb|right|Figure 2. Four sixteenth notes beamed together....
: Tika / Tiri - 4 Sixteenth Notes: TikaTika / Tiritiri
- 2 Sixteenths and 1 Eighth Note: Tika-Ti / Tiri-Ti
- 1 Eighth Note and 2 Sixteenths: Ti-Tika / Ti-Tiri
This system allows the value of each note to be clearly represented no matter its placement within the beat/measure.
The folk song lyric
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
"This Old Man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb, with a knick-knack paddy whack, give my dog a bone, this old man came rolling home" would be said, "titi ta titi ta titi titi titi ta-tiri titi tiriti tiritiri ta titi titi titi ta"
du / du-deh / du-ta-de-ta system! Need more info.
Down-ee up-ee – beats are down, up-beats are up, subdivisions are “ee” but… need more info!
The folksong lyric "This Old Man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb, with a knick-knack paddy whack, give my dog a bone, this old man came rolling home" would be said, "down up down down up down down up down up down up down up-ee down up down-ee-up down-ee-up-ee down down up down up down up down."
Takadimi system: The beat is always called ta. In simple meters
Meter (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
, the division and subdivision are always ta-di and ta-ka-di-mi. Any note value can be the beat, depending on the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
. In compound meters (wherein the beat is generally notated with dotted note
Dotted note
In Western musical notation, a dotted note is a note with a small dot written after it. The dot increases the duration of the basic note by half of its original value. If the basic note lasts 2 beats, the corresponding dotted note lasts 3 beats...
s), the division and subdivision are always ta-ki-da and ta-va-ki-di-da-ma.
The note value
Note value
In music notation, a note value indicates the relative duration of a note, using the color or shape of the note head, the presence or absence of a stem, and the presence or absence of flags/beams/hooks/tails....
does not receive a particular name; the note’s position within the beat gets the name. This system allows children to internalize a steady beat and to naturally discover the subdivisions of beat, similar to the down-ee-up-ee system.
The folksong lyric "This Old Man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb, with a knick-knack paddy whack, give my dog a bone, this old man came rolling home" would be said, "tadi ta tadi ta tadi tadi tadi tadimi tadi takadi takadimi ta tadi tadi tadi ta."
Ultimately, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s count using numbers, “ands” and vowel
Vowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
sounds. Downbeats within a measure are called 1, 2, 3… Upbeats are represented with a plus sign and are called “and” (i.e. 1 + 2 +), and further subdivisions receive the sounds “ee” and “uh” (i.e. 1 e + a 2 e + a). Musicians do not agree on what to call triplets: some simply say the word triplet (“trip-a-let”), or another three-syllable word (like pineapple or elephant) with an antepenultimate accent. Some use numbers along with the word triplet (i.e. “1-trip-let”). Still others have devised sounds like “ah-lee” or “la-li” added after the number (i.e. 1-la-li, 2-la-li).
The folksong lyric "This Old Man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb, with a knick-knack paddy whack, give my dog a bone, this old man came rolling home" in 2/4 time would be said, "one and two one and two one and two and one and two and uh one and two ee and one ee and uh two one and two and one and two."