Each person studying music, without fail passes through the study of musical notation and solfeggio. And one of the fundamental themes is dimensions in music. Next, their main varieties, methods of determination and some of the most common combinations will be considered.
Concept of music meter
Before defining what a musical dimension is, you need to have an idea of a concept called a musical meter.
It is generally accepted that all music is based on the so-called pulsation - the alternation of equal in duration shares, which can be strong and weak. A strong share is always in first place in tact. But one should not confuse strong shares with an emphasis, since such a allocation can also occur in weak shares.
In modern music, you can often find meters consisting of two or three lobes. In simple terms, a two-share meter consists of one strong and one weak share (one-two), and a three-part meter consists of one strong and two weak (one-two-three). Thus, a musical meter can be represented as a process of counting such alternations, or even as a kind of temporary grid with a specified sequence of shares.
Types of shares and their varieties
Understanding what constitutes a musical dimension is impossible without knowing the varieties of stakes. As already mentioned, in the simplest case they are divided into strong and weak.
However, some may object, they say, but what about the most common size 4/4? In music, it is believed that in it the first share is strong, the second and fourth are weak, but the third is relatively strong. Size itself is complex because it consists of two simple ones. But this will be discussed separately.
Music Beat
Now a few words about understanding tact. In simple terms, the beat in music is the interval of sound from one to another strong beat.
No matter how many total beats are indicated in the musical size, only one strong beat and as many as relatively strong and weak can be present in a measure. The count in a measure always starts with a “time”. Depending on the size, the shares can be considered as “one-two” (“one-two-three”), “one-and-two-and” (“one-and-two-and-three-and”) and t . d.
Time signature in music: main types
Finally, we move on to the concept of size. Dimensions in music are sometimes called the numeric expression of a meter indicating the relative duration of the beats and their total number in one measure.
Why is the concept of relative duration used? Yes, only because the shares can be divided into components, which the musical meter does not provide. For example, the 4/4 size in music, also denoted by the Latin letter “C”, provides for the presence of one measure, consisting of four quarter notes in total.
But after all, every fourth note can also be represented as combinations of eighths, sixteenths, thirty second, or even sixty fourth notes! How exactly they will be combined with each other, the composer himself decides. The main thing is that their sum does not exceed the total duration of the sound, corresponding to four quarters. But this is the basics of musical literacy.
As for the main varieties, the time signature in the music is divided into simple and complex. Complex dimensions also include categories of mixed, asymmetric and variable sizes.
Simple music sizes
Based on the understanding of the meter, you can describe the dimensions in music called simple. They distinguish between bipartite and tripartite sizes. In the first case, the repetition of strong shares occurs through one weak, and in the second - through two.
The most common bipartite sizes are 2/8, 2/4 and 2/2 (the 2/2 size in music, like 2/8, is extremely rare, and is considered exclusively within the framework of theoretical information). Of the tripartite sizes, these are 3/4, 3/8 and 3/2. Again, sizes 3/2 or 3/8 are practically not used, and the size of "three quarters" is the most common (for example, it is used for almost all waltzes).
Sophisticated Musical Sizes
Complex dimensions in the simplest case must be understood as the union of two or more simple ones. Moreover, it is the first fraction of the first size that is strong, and it seems that a strong fraction from the second automatically passes into the category of relatively strong ones.
In complex sizes, the easiest to understand are sizes like 4/4, 4/2, 6/4, 6/2, 6/8, 12/8, 8/4, 8/8. As you can see, such sizes are comparable among themselves, for example, 8/8 - this is the same as 4/4.
Mixed and unbalanced musical dimensions
Another thing is mixed sizes. In music, five-, seven-, nine- and eleven-bit combinations are most often found. And the sequence of shares, respectively, can look completely different. As an example, consider 5/4.
When creating this size, simple components are used: 2/4 and 3/4. But the combination can take the form of “2 + 3” and “3 + 2”. Thus, a displacement of a relatively strong fraction occurs.
Perhaps the most striking and famous composition written in this size with the combination “3 + 2” is “Mary Magdalene’s Aria” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera “Jesus Christ - Superstar”.
As for other dimensions, there may be more combinations in them. So, for example, the musical size 7/8 may consist of the sequences “2 + 2 + 3”, “2 + 3 + 2” or “3 + 2 + 2”. In nine- and eleven-sided dimensions, there are more such variations, respectively. But when creating music using such dimensions, it is worth remembering that an ordinary listener will hardly perceive such a melody, and not everyone can play it.
Although, if you look at the bands playing thrash metal, they can do it just fine and quite often combine torn riffs with the usual simple or complex dimensions.
For example, the same Xentrix group very successfully alternates 3/4 dimensions with triplets of eighths for each beat and 7/8, sometimes adding 9/8. Naturally, an unprepared listener to determine the size by ear the first time will not be so simple, but it sounds very, very interesting. In general, a classic of the genre.
Variable music sizes
This type of dimensions in music are extremely rare, and mainly in folk music folklore. Bulgarian folk songs are a prime example.
The very concept of this term implies only that over the course of one composition, the main size can be changed several times, for example, using several ordinary complex and several asymmetric sizes.
Sizing Methodology
In determining the size, the listener relies solely on his hearing and sense of rhythm. This is the only way to distinguish where exactly a strong beat sounds, from which one needs to build on.
However, in almost all music schools, in solfeggio classes, students use a special conducting technique. For example, size 4/4 is presented as sweeps of the hand first down, then left, then right and up again (usually at an angle of 45 degrees).
Three quarters - swing down, right and up. Six-eighths - swipe down, left, right, up again, and above two go-ahead right (or in another combination). However, at first, when determining the dimensions by ear and writing dictations, teachers, in order to develop a sense of rhythm among students, deliberately highlight a strong share of each measure. It is this technique that allows us to achieve that in the future a person will be able to determine any type of dimension (even taking into account their alternation) independently and without any accents or hints.
Conclusion
To draw a line, it can be noted that the musical dimensions are very closely related to the understanding of the musical meter, beats and measures. Therefore, in order to learn to clearly define exactly which dimension sounds in a piece of music, the basics of musical literacy and solfeggio are indispensable.
True, many students, at least initially, solfeggio, to put it mildly, do not like, considering it unnecessary and difficult to understand. However, it is he who is the very foundation that provides fertile ground for the formation of man as a musician of the highest professional level. Indeed, Richie Blackmore, a world-famous guitarist who played in such well-known bands as Deep Purple and Rainbow, argued that the speed of moving your fingers on the fretboard is not a technique. Without knowledge of the basics and classical canons of music, becoming a professional of the highest level is simply impossible.
So novice musicians can be advised to have patience and perseverance and study these subjects thoroughly. In musical education, so to speak, it is like “Our Father”.