Melodic Rhythm:
Understand the Melody for Better Playing
Of all the elements of music, the most problematic one is rhythm. If you’re ever challenged by rhythm, it doesn’t mean you have trouble keeping a steady beat, or you chronically disregard the tempo. In fact, unless you have a band member or teacher point it out, you may not even notice any issues with rhythm. But if you’ve ever unknowingly added or subtracted a beat in a measure, had trouble singing while playing, or struggled fitting the melody in correctly to a chord melody arrangement, the culprit is rhythm.
In all of the cases I’ve mentioned, the aspect of rhythm that’s problematic is not the beat, or pulse, or even the tempo—it’s the melodic rhythm. For that reason, it’s important to have a grasp of the melodic rhythm on any song you play.
What is Melodic Rhythm?
Melodic rhythm is just what the name says: the rhythm created by and found within the melody. It’s made up of a sequence of pitches that have varying durations. The duration of each pitch and the amount of time there’s silence between them makes up the melodic rhythm.
Try singing “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” with each note immediately following the next—no sustaining notes and no time between any of the notes. Not only is it so unnatural that it’s hard to do, the resulting melody doesn’t resemble the song. It’s only when you add in the melodic rhythm that it becomes “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”
Try this with a few more familiar songs to get the importance of articulating the duration of notes and rests. Accuracy is important in melodic rhythm, and it’s what’s missing when you’re having problems with your guitar songs.
How to Hear the Melodic Rhythm
Like any other part of music that you want to hear, the key is to tune into it when you’re listening. Make sure that you’re paying attention to the space between the notes, which is the part that most people neglect.
Choose a song you like and clap the pulse while you’re listening. Then, try clapping the melodic rhythm as you listen. You’ll know you’re correct if you’re covering up the sound of the notes of the melody with your claps. Finally, turn the recording off and sing as you clap the pulse. Check yourself against the recording a time or two to make sure you’re correct in your singing.
How Do You Know It’s Right?
If you can’t tell if you’re right when you’re not using the recording, you’ll need to get help—but be careful who you ask for help. Someone who is not a professional musician is likely to fall into the same trap you’re trying to get out of!
The surest way is to use my Single Song Support, where you can find out about the rhythm and so much more. Just make a recording (audio or video) of the song you want feedback on and send it to me. Within three days, I’ll send you my assessment and a link to my response on video, plus links to specific exercises or articles that would be helpful—all for only $25! You’ll be amazed at how easy it is and how much it can help!
