97 Sight Singing Instructions

Advanced Rhythms

The examples in the sight singing assignment will include the following: meter changes; hemiola; irregular meter.

Meter Change

Composers of the nineteenth century and beyond often used metronome markings to indicate how to proceed when the meter changes. Study the two procedures carefully: does the beat remain constant and the notes within the beat change, or the other way around?

Hemiola

Hemiola is a common rhythmic device used over many centuries of composition. In hemiola, there is a change to note groupings without a notated meter change. This can make it sound as if a meter change has taken place, however.

Irregular (Asymmetrical) Meters

Sometimes we see time signatures with a 5 or a 7 in the numerator. While it is definitely possible to conduct these in 5 or 7, this week we will focus on conducting them in broader patterns, such as “2+3” for a time signature with 5 in the numerator. The beats will be unequal, and this may take some time to get used to. As always, subdivide. This makes irregular meters much easier to understand.

Extra Listening: Irregular Meters Playlist

The works on the linked playlist are in irregular meters. Listen carefully until you can identify the meter of the piece and it becomes familiar to your ear.