Elements of Rhythm (March '25)

As songwriters, we talk about melody, harmony, and lyrics all the time, but we often leave out what gives a song its life: rhythm. How we approach tempo, time-feel, and phrasing can change a song entirely. By focusing our attention on these qualities, we can make our performances more compelling and help cultivate and distinguish our artistic voices.

This class investigates the broad and elusive nature of rhythm. Through daily exercises, creative assignments, and investigative lectures, we will seek to better understand not only the complexity of rhythm but also the elegant simplicity of feel and groove.

Topics will include:

• Listening: Before we improve our sense of time, we have to stop thinking and start listening. We will explore and compare notes on what it means to listen deeply, how music reflects nature, and how we as musicians fit into the tapestry of our sonic environments.
• Feeling: We experience groove in our bodies. Dance and movement are inextricably linked to time feel, and embracing this will deepen our intuitive understanding of rhythm. We will learn how rhythm can be gestural and imperfect, and change depending on the feeling you bring to it.
• Counting: Once we have laid the foundation of listening and feel, counting can provide the scaffolding needed to achieve new rhythmic structures of increased complexity. It also provides a shared language for analyzing and talking about music from around the world.
• Language: As young children, we learn words and phrases through listening and imitation, not through careful calculation. The more we can apply this to our musical practice, the more we allow music making to be an intuitive process.

Class Dates (PT):

• Monday, March 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
• Friday, March 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
• Monday, March 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM
• Friday, March 21, 2025 at 4:00 PM
• Monday, March 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
• Friday, March 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM
• Monday, March 31, 2025 at 4:00 PM
• Friday, April 4, 2025 at 4:00 PM