109 Sight Singing Instructions

Polyrhythms and Smaller Subdivisions

Polyrhythms

We have already studied rhythmic concepts such as “two against three” and “three against four.” In this warm-up, we will add “two against five” and “three against five.”

Polyrhythms are not difficult if you figure them out using a little easy math.

• First, figure out what the two numbers have in common. For two against three, that number is six, because 2+2+2=6 and 3+3=6.
• Use that common number as your subdivision. Therefore, for two against three, subdivide the measure in six: “One-and-two-AND-three-and” will help you divide three into two, whereas “One-and-A-two-AND-a” will divide two into three.
• Some people find mnemonic devices useful in internalizing the “cumulative rhythm” of the polyrhythm. For example, “Nice cup of tea” (quarter, eighth, eighth, quarter) is a commonly-used mnemonic device for two against three.

Rhythm and Melody – Smaller Subdivisions

Many types of music characteristically contain very small subdivisions of the beat. In French overture form, a popular genre from the Baroque era, a stately opening section with lots of ornate and double-dotted rhythms will typically precede a faster, more contrapuntal section (not shown here). The first melodic example in this lesson, the opening movement of Bach’s second orchestral suite, typifies this style. Don’t rush, because you’ll need to articulate with great rhythmic precision for full points.

As you will notice in several of this lesson’s examples, not all “small” time signatures indicate a quick tempo. This may initially seem counter-intuitive, but you’ll find a lot of contexts – including many compositions by Beethoven – in which a very slow movement has a time signature of 3/8 or 2/4. Make sure you think over the divisions and subdivisions of the beat before you attempt to perform the excerpts. For maximum accuracy, practice with rhythm only a few times before you add in the pitches.

Duets: rehearse with a partner, conducting and singing in solfege. Please be prepared to sing either part.