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NSWMusicQuick questions
The Concepts of Music (core framework)
Quick questions on Duration, rhythm, metre and tempo: HSC Music concept
2short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is metre?Show answer
Metre is how beats group into bars, shown by the time signature. In simple metre each beat divides into two: simple duple is 2/4, simple triple is 3/4, simple quadruple is 4/4. In compound metre each beat divides into three: compound duple is 6/8, compound triple is 9/8, compound quadruple is 12/8. The trick for hearing compound time is the lilting, swung "1-and-a, 2-and-a" feel of beats split into threes.
What are rhythmic devices?Show answer
The devices that give rhythm its character are where marks are won. Syncopation places accents off the main beat, on weak beats or between beats, and is central to jazz, funk and much popular music. Dotted rhythms create a long-short or short-long swagger. An ostinato is a short rhythmic or melodic pattern repeated persistently, often in the bass or percussion, holding a groove together.
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