Rhythm can be found in music and all around

Try finding the song's rhythm.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Amanda De Lorea

What do these things have in common: breathing, windshield wipers, walking and a ringing telephone?

Give up?

They all have rhythms. In fact, rhythms are a basic and important part of our lives. Rhythms are based on patterns. Some rhythms are steady, or repeating, like the ticking of a clock. Others may be variable, meaning they can change by going faster or slower. A good example is your heart, which beats slowly when you are sitting quietly, and quickly when you are running fast.

Rhythm, along with melody and harmony, is a basic element of music. It provides music with its pulse or beat. It's what makes you tap your toe or bob your head to a song, and makes you "feel" the music.

Musical rhythm is created by arranging short and long notes in different combinations. Try singing the first two lines of "Three Blind Mice." Notice how the first two lines have three syllables of equal length:

Three blind mice,
Three blind mice.

Now sing the next two lines. Notice how these lines have four syllables each, but the last two syllables in each line are sung twice as fast as the first two:

See how they run,
See how they run.

Sing all first four lines again, this time clapping your hands along with the words. You should be able to hear the rhythm change.

Now try making up your own words to the song, such as:

Bob drinks milk,
Bob drinks milk.
He likes it cold,
He likes it cold.

Your turn. Have fun!

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