Rhythm the driving Force



Rhythm could be likened to the sap of the tree, that nutrient supplier or source carrier.
Rhythm the driving force behind Music. Without it all would be chaos, disorderly and of no set patterns.

Just what is Rhythm?

First let us understand where the word had its beginnings.

Rhythm comes from the Latin word Rhythmus, The Greeks had it as Rhythmos.
The literal meaning is more at "to flow", or "stream".

So, we have established Rhythm as something that is moving, flowing and constant.

Let's look further and see what Websters Dictionary defines it as.

Rhythm- a recurrent alternation of strong and weak elements of the flow of sound and silence in Speech

Looking further we find that Rhythm is the aspect of Music that comprises all the elements that relate to forward movement.

So we see that rhythm is constantly moving and an integral critical part of musical compositions.

Rhythm is then the discipline that regulates the flow of music.
As it is with nature, the seasons, and the tides of the Oceans so it is with rhythm the heart that maintains the beat.

Rhythm is the single most important tool in music, because it orders tones into patterns through the use of accents and impluses.

Rhythm can exist by itself as a means of conveying a musical message. None of the other musical ingredients are conceivable without the presence of Rhythm.

Rhythm simply put is the controlled forward movement in a composition.
To read more of the subject, the tree of music, click hereForm, the unifying force in Music


© 1998 Bryon Tosoff