Hi!
In order for someone to play rhythm, and not just the notes in a random way, they will need a kind of map to tell them which note to play, when to play it, and for how long. And since we are dealing with rhythms so we will deal with the original two notes of the rhythm which is the DOM and the TAK .
So we need to know about the staff, the measures and beats. I've received many requests from some listers asking me for an easier way to learn rhythms, and since we communicate through the net it will be only one way to describe it. I will start to explain how to read the staff and how to hear the Egyptian rhythms and maybe how to play them if you have an idea about technique. Also, you will be able to know the difference and know what you are dancing to.
The staff is divided into very small parts. These parts are called "measures," and the measures are divided into even smaller parts called "beats." This is where the math of music begins. If you add all the beats together in 1 measure, they need to equal the size for that measure. Let's say that we have a measure size of 1. Let us also say that we have 4 beats divided equally within that measure.
What size do 4 equal beats need to be to equal 1 when they are all added together?
The answer is 1/4 each. If you add 4 quarters together you get 1.
What size do 8 equal beats need to be to equal 1 when they are all added together?
The answer is 1/8 each. If you add 8 eighths together you get 1.
What size do 16 equal beats need to be to equal 1 when they are all added together?
The answer is 1/16 each. If you add 16 sixteenths together you get 1.
What size do 2 equal beats need to be to equal 1 when they are all added together?
1/2 each. If you add 2 halves together you get 1.
Let's review.
We have beats that equal:
one Quarter
one Eighth
one Sixteenth
one Half
one Whole
Rhythmic Names include
(from what we said about beats):
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Musical Notation |
Quarter notes
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Eighth notes
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Sixteenth notes
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Half notes
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Whole notes
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So when describing a note in rhythm, we can have a Dom that is a Quarter note. Or, we can have Dom that is a Eighth note. Just remember that there are two parts to describe each note that you see written on the staff. And, when you add all the notes together in 1 measure, they need to equal 1 whole measure.
Try to do this exercise:
1. A Whole Note equals ____ half notes added together.
2. The staff is subdivided into parts called _____ .
3. Two eight notes plus one quarter note equals _____ .
4. Two quarter notes plus one half note equals _____ .
5. Each measure is subdivided into _____ .
See the answers below.
We will stop here today and will continue latter.
Please, if you really want to know about rhythms you should understand lesson by lesson and you have to forget about the rhythm groups and who comes from who just for now.
You should know the rhythms first and after that look for the groups and the history of this rhythms. Balady, Maksoum, Malfouf, Saidi, Masmoudi, Zafa, and many others.... are all different , each one of these rhythms has a different personality. Some of them may be from the same family and may be some are similar, but they are different.
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Try to find or buy a metronome and listen to it as much as you can, it will help you as a musician to know about Tempo and will makes you able to play the DOMs and TAKs in the right place. Also for dancers it will make you feel the rhythms more so you can translate the DOMs and TAKs in the right time - not after - not before.
See you in the next lesson!
Osama El-Gohary
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Mechanical
Metronome
...click pic to shop...
 
 
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Digital
Metronome
...click pic to shop...
 
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Answers:
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1. A Whole Note equals ____ half notes added together.
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1. two
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2. The staff is subdivided into parts called _____ .
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2. measures
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3. Two eight notes plus one quarter note equals _____ .
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3. one half note
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4. Two quarter notes plus one half note equals _____ .
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4. a whole note
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5. Each measure is subdivided into _____ .
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5. beats
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