Rhythm
In order to express rhythms in writing, we need three things: a beat, relative note durations, and a time signature to indicate the meter and define the relationship between the two. We have already covered beat and time signatures in the previous section on beat and meter, so now we will learn the relative note durations and how they look in notation.
Rhythm is the timing and duration of the notes within the framework of a steady beat. To put it another way, rhythms are created by subdividing the beat into shorter durations or by adding them together into longer durations. All rhythmic values (durations) of notes and rests can be defined by their relationships to each other. In order to understand rhythms, we must first understand these relationships. For additional details about the interaction of rhythms and time signatures, see time signatures revisited.
Note Durations
The duration of a whole note is equal to the duration of two half notes, four quarter notes, eight eighth notes and so on.
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The flags on eighth notes and sixteenth notes can be joined together into beams. This helps to keep fast rhythms from looking cluttered.
Furthermore, adding a dot to the right of the note head makes the note duration one and a half times (150%) of the starting value. For example, a dotted half note is equal to the duration of a half note plus a quarter note (a half note tied to a quarter note).
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Triplets are indicated by placing a 3 (and sometimes a bracket) over or under a group of notes. The duration of three eighth note triplets is equal to the duration of two standard eighth notes, or one quarter note. To put it another way, while eighth notes divide a quarter note into two parts, a triplet divides a quarter note into three parts.
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= As another example, the duration of three quarter note triplets is equal to the duration of two standard quarter notes, or one half note. Quarter notes divide a half note into two parts, while quarter note triplets divide a half note into three parts.
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= Listen to the relative durations of notes here:
Rest Durations
Each duration of note has a corresponding rest of the same length. Whole and half rests look almost the same, but a whole rest hangs below the center staff line, and a half rest sits on top of it.
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Adding a dot to a rest makes the rest one and a half times (150%) of its original duration, just as it does with notes.
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= Rests can also be triplets just like notes. It is even common to see rests and notes within a group of triplets.
Syncopation
Syncopation occurs when rhythms do not follow the regular pattern of emphasis in a measure. To the ear, it sounds similar to when the natural emphasis of language is not followed (for example, in English we say EM-pha-sis, not em-PHA-sis). Instead of following the expected pattern, sympcopated rhythms emphasize off-beats, the halfway points between two beats. Since eighth notes usually divide the beat in half, it is common for syncopation to occur in rhythms that use eighth notes.
the sound clip includes a percussion track to help demonstrate the relationship between the beat and the rhythms