What is a musical COMPASS and the types that exist
When it comes to music, it is very likely that you have ever heard the word "compass”. Many of us have an idea of what it is but perhaps you have wondered what its real meaning is and what is its use and importance in music. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will talk about this important element and how it is applied in music. You will discover what is a musical compass and the types that exist.
Index
- The musical compass to measure the music
- What is a musical beat?
- What is the metric in music?
- Musical time signature
The musical compass to measure the music.
Although music is an art, it is known that due to the extension of knowledge it requires due to the properties of sound and the mathematical relationships that are at stake, can also be considered a science. Thus, as in all science, music needs parameters that help us measure it in order to understand it.
As you perform you will notice that many musicians are focused on following a
music sheet which is used so that all musicians can play with each other together and this can be done with exactitude thanks to the measurements of the music, which can be at the melodic, harmonic or rhythmic. In the case of rhythmic and structure, at the musical unit with which we divide a song or a work we call it compass.
What is a musical beat?
The compass is a unit that divide the extension of a song or play. It helps us to quantify its parts and with them, its structure. In the staff, we recognize a compass when it is divided by a vertical line.
In one measure we can write only one set amount of notes and we know this amount thanks to a number that is written as a fraction at the beginning of the staff. We call this number “metrics”. Since the meter determines the measure, by extension it is often called "Type of compass".
What is the metric in music?
The metric tells us the number of notes and duration of the same that we can include in a measure and it also suggests what kind of musicality each musical phrase should carry.
We call the number at the top of the fraction that indicates the metric numerator. This tells us the pulse. The pulse tells us how many “beats” there will be in a measure. We call the number at the bottom the denominator and it tells us the base musical figure.
In this sense, you should know that:
- The number 4 represents the black, since 4 quarter notes are equivalent to one round, which is the longest musical figure. Following this same logic
- The number 8 represents eighth notes, since 8 eighth notes equal one round
- The number 2 represents the musical figure of the White, since 2 white equals one round.
In this way we know that the base musical figure is black if the denominator is number 4, eighth note if the denominator is number 8 and white if the denominator is number 2.
In the metric, the combination of both numbers (nominator and denominator) give us to understand not only the quantities of a measure, but the "Natural accents." The accents They are when a note stands out in intensity, intensity or volume from the rest. Rhythm it is simply a sequence of strokes or notes, but accents allow us to give a meaning to the rhythm and with it, musicality.
A clear example of this is the "waltz" found in the metric of. The waltz is characterized by having the accent on the first note and those that follow are 2 weak notes. This is how the waltz makes sense as music and also as a form of dance.
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Types of musical time signature.
If we reduce the numbers of the musical rhythm to their minimum expression, these would be 2 and 3. The division in music can be by binary division (based on the number 2) and we call this system binary system. And then there is another type of system, which is based on thirds. We call this system based on the subdivision of number 3 ternary system.
Knowing this, we can already mention that there are two types of time signature: simple compass Y compound compass. In the simple measure, the notes of each beat have a binary base, while in the compound measure, each subdivision of the beat has a ternary base.
Example:
- Time signature of ¾. The numerator is 3, so the compass has 3 beats, but its base is a quarter note, of binary classification. Therefore, the ¾ is a simple measure.
- Time signature of 6/8. It has 6 beats, with an eighth note base (8). Its natural pulsation is subdivided into two groups of 3 eighth notes (3 and 3). 3 eighth notes are the equivalent of a dotted quarter note. By using this figure, we know that it is then a compound compass.
By understanding these categories, we can now classify all types of time signature. There are several, but the following are The most used:
- Simple Bars: 2/2, 3/2, 4/2, 2/4, ¾, 4/4, 4/8
- Compound Compasses: 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, 6/4, 9/4, 12/4
When inquiring into the world of music, not many expect to find so many numbers, however we must accept that in addition to an art, music is a science and to understand it better we must also learn about it facet. The good thing is that once you have understood it, you can have fun in practice and marvel at all the variety that musical creativity can offer us.
We hope that you have enjoyed this article by a PROFESSOR and that you now have a better understanding of what a musical compass is and the types that exist.
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