Chapter 4

Section 3

Rhythms in Everyday Life

• Did you know that you can use anything to sound a rhythm?

• Finger snaps, mouth, claps, pencils, keys, backpacks are just a few examples

STOMP

• One musical group famous for its use of found instruments is STOMP.

• They combine choreography with rhythms created from everyday objects.

• The founder and dancer Luke Creswell states that the group’s goal: to invite people to “listen to the world in a different way and hear music where maybe they didn’t think there was music before.”

Watch the DVD

• Use your ears to tell you what ordinary objects are used as rhythm instruments.

• How many of the terms below can you apply to their rhythms and dance?

• Call and responseritardando fortissimo accent• Accelerando pianissimo syncopation• Unison duple meter solo• Polyrhythm improvisation tutti• Diminuendo ostinato pause

Terms• Call and response- question and answer pattern• Accelerando- gradually increasing the tempo• Unison- One line/one part• Polyrhythm- multiple rhythms• Diminuendo- gradual decrease in sound• Ritardando- gradual slowing of tempo• Pianissimo- very soft• Duple Meter- beats grouped by two• Improvisation- spontaneous musical invention• Ostinato- a repeated musical figure• Fortissimo- Very loud• Syncopation- deliberate shifts of accent so that it conflicts with the steady beat• Solo- composition for one performer• Tutti- a section in a concerto with all instruments/voices perform together• Pause- a stop in music for a short period of time• Accent- the emphasis placed on a beat or sound

Bounce, Slap, Dribble, Move!!

• STOMP loves to demonstrate how everyday rhythms in our lives can have a powerful musical effect.

• A fun way to demonstrate these rhythms is to take a basketball and show how it itself can become a musical instrument.

Improvisation• Music invites us to invent new combinations of sound.• We find ourselves humming or whistling our own tune or

tapping a rhythm that we made up.• This is called improvisation.• Improvisation- spontaneous musical invention• Improvisation is usually done within certain boundaries.• The improviser might elaborate upon a familiar melody, adding

tones and altering rhythms to enhance a particular feeling.• You’ll learn more about this in Jazz in Chapter 9.• Ostinato- a repeated musical figure

Improvisation

• Improvisation is an art with many techniques.• It is a way of making music a form of direct

self-expression.• It requires musicians to take chances.• Some authorities believe that music improv. Is

among the highest forms of human thinking.• What challenges to you think jazz artists face

when improvising during a performance?

Jazz Improvisation Artist

Fun activity

• Get in groups• Someone needs to be the master drummer• 1. The master drummer sets a steady tempo.• 2. Others take turns improvising a rhythm.• These don’t have to be difficult.• Keep it simple, it’s easier and it works!!