The melodic rhythm is the rhythm described by the melody, as opposed to the rhythm that we call the pulse. (If you’re not clear on what the word “melody” refers to, think of it as the part of the song that you sing.) To begin analyzing it, listen to at least 7 songs and say the counts out loud. The purpose of this exercise is to practice finding the first beat of each measure (“1”) in various time signatures. If you lack confidence in this area, just try it anyway. You will get the hang of it and once you do, you won’t lose it!
When you feel confident about finding “1”, choose a song that is a slow to medium tempo and is in 4/4 time. Grab a pencil and a piece of blank paper (staff paper is not required) and as you listen to the song, count the number of measures in it. Place evenly spaced, bold vertical lines on the page to represent the measures. Then, make shorter, lighter lines that represent the beats above each measure. Four measures in 4/4 time would look like this:
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I I I I
Now it’s time to combine your listening and notating. As you listen, tap your pencil on the beat lines at the top of the staff along with the beat of the music, which means that you will be tapping the pulse. Begin to observe where the melody falls in relation to the pulse. (It helps to sing or mouth the words with the recording.) On which beat does the melody begin? Does it begin between the beats and, if so, between which beats? Continue to bring your awareness to this aspect of the music as you listen to the entire song, noticing where each phrase begins.
After you’ve tapped the pulse and listened to the melody for a whole song a time or two, you are ready to notate the melodic rhythm for the first four measures. You will still tap on the line of short marks above the “staff”, but instead of tapping your pencil on the beats, begin tapping it where you hear the melody. Just tap where you would sing! As you progress, press down with your pencil to make marks on and between the “beat lines” on the chart, as appropriate. (To clarify, as you mark the melodic rhythm, you will not do so on every beat and you will often do so between beats.)
Continue through the song in the same manner, analyzing four measures at a time and working at your own pace. In order to benefit the most from this practice, you should feel challenged. If it is very easy for you, choose a slightly more difficult song and be prepared to slug through it. If, on the other hand, you are hitting a dead end and becoming too frustrated, choose a song that is shorter and slower or work with one measure – or even half of a measure – at a time.
As you practice this exercise you are developing the ability to hold the sound and feel of the melodic rhythm combined with the pulse. This will serve you in all that you play, whether solo or in a group. As an added bonus, you are learning to take musical notation!