Macquarie University

Studies in Rhythm - MUS229

Music is a time-based art form, and accordingly, methods of managing and organising time are critical to all music of all times and of all cultures. Rhythm is humankind's primary tool for achieving such musical organisation. This unit studies the musical element of rhythm in theoretical, practical and creative modes, and from manifold perspectives, drawn from many and various musical cultures of the world. The unit begins with a theoretical consideration of the universal role of rhythm as a means of measuring and managing time, and of organising musical ideas in time. It then investigates the practical application of rhythm, and the various and extraordinary musical manifestations of rhythmic ideas that are found in specific musical cultures. Participants learn to perform elements of the musical repertoire under investigation, focusing on the rhythmic features, and through doing so, learn to conceptualise and analyse the rhythms performed. Participants are further encouraged to extend the ideas investigated onto their musical instrument of choice, into movement, or into other art forms. The unit employs conventional and unconventional notation techniques, and participants learn to encapsulate the ideas explored in both western notation and non-conventional graphic forms.