Rhythm

Rhythm is one of the basic elements of music, referring to the organization of time. People are very rhythmic. Many aspects of human life exhibit rhythmic organization. We walk, talk, eat, and sleep according to our own rhythmic patterns. Rhythm is found in the beating of a heart, the ticking of a clock, the turn-signals in a car.

Most music organizes time through regularly occurring pulses or beats that are then arranged into groups of either two or three. When written out, these beats are referred to as notes.

As the table explains, a whole note will sustain a sound for the duration of four beats; a half note will sustain a sound for two beats. Two half notes are equal in value to one whole note. When notes are combined they form rhythm patterns.