Rhythm can be construed as a graceful movement that enables a music to flow. It is a series of beats and pulses that gives timing to every note. It defines the expression, meaning and character of a particular type of music.
Rhythm breathes life. Aside from harmony and melody, this is one of the most significant part of a music. It is the manner of organization and measurement of music in time. It gives any music structure by generating patterns of sound and silence. Rhythm is something so special that music cannot exists without it.It gives depth and dimension thereby giving any kind of music its own unique character. The sound as well as the silence form a pattern of repetitiveness which thereby forms a rhythm. In the absence of rhythm, everything is just in plain monotony. (National Symphony Orchestra, n. d.).
Every rhythm is unique in its own way. It has different types of beat that jives with every tone and every harmony created by the song. The music beat have many varieties. It can be slow or fast, soft or loud. The composer of any musical piece have the liberty to use any kind of rhythm which will soothe his taste in order to capture the heart and attention of the listeners.
Rhythm has become a part of music in the same way that music has become a way of life whether people like it or not. At one point or another, every person experienced humming, dancing in the rain, unconsciously tapping a foot to a song and without so much of a realization, everybody has felt the rhythm of music. It can therefore be safe to say that no music can exists without rhythm and some might even go so far as to say that rhythm is a law of the environment. It is everywhere including the human system. From the beat of the heart, the wink of an eye to the rise and fall of the tide, the sunrise and sunset as well as the timing and phases of the moon.
There are various types of music that highlight rhythm such dance tunes like hip hop and waltz. Hip hop is a classic example of a rhythm driven type of music. The beat of the drum and any other percussion instrument articulates the rhythm of any song. Waltz is another example of a dance that has so many counts and rhythms.
The passage of time certainly influenced the different types of rhythm in music. Music is the soul of life and all across the globe, it has touched and changed the lives of many people and through rhythm, music is and will always be appreciated by everybody because of the wonderful rhythm that is always behind it. No matter what type of music there is, be it western, African or something else, rhythm will always be there to give essence to the movement of music.
References
National Symphony Orchestra. N. d. Rhythm. Retrieved May 29, 2009 from http://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/classicalmusiccompanion/rhythm.html
