The Thing About Rhythm

Pitch, Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, Meter, Tempo, Texture, Tone Color, Dynamics...these are often referred to as the Elements of Music. As a composer, all of these serve as building blocks when I craft together a composition. Of all those “elements” of music, I have a favorite! It is, in my opinion, the most “elemental” – or basic – of all the so-called elements. Can you guess which one? It’s RHYTHM. So what about rhythm raises it above all those other worthy elements to become, in my view, a “Meta-Element”? In this episode (a requested reposting of an earlier episode), I explain why.