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[edit] Pulse & Repetition

This is the backbone of music. Even ambient has some.

[edit] Meter

4/4 The first number represents how many beats are contained in a bar of music. The second number indicates what type of note recieves one beat. In this case, there are four quaternotes to a bar, and each quaternote recieves one beat.

3/4 This meter contains 3 beats per bar, again with a quarternote recieving one beat.

5/4 guess.

Now try writing some tunage with these alternate meters. Just for the experience. 3/4 may sound a bit jazzy, 5/4 a bit industrial.

[edit] Tempo & Phrase

Electronic music artists tend to set the tempo of a tune when they are writing, and not to change it throughout the entire tune. However, control over the speed of a tune can be changed without changing the tempo.

The concept is called "phrasal length." Musical phrases are about the size of a loop, and usually encompass all loops currently playing - drums, synths, everything. So, a 2 bar drum loop layered with a 4 bar bassline, would be a 4 bar phrase, not two. A 2 bar drum loop followed by two 1 bar drum loops, layered with a 4 bar bassline, still a 4 bar phrase, usually.

A single phrase may consist of 1 bar, 2 bars, 4 bars, etc. When put together, one phrase after another, they will form parts, and sections, which then form tunes. Point being, a 4 bar phrase followed by several 2 bar phrases will appear to be accelerating. And a 2 bar phrase followed by 1 bar, 1/2 bar, etc. phrases will also appear to be accelerating. The reverse also holds true, several 2 bar phrases followed by one or more longer phrases will appear to be decelerating.

example. the Amen break.
The first half of the bar contains two eightnote kicks followed by a snare. The second half of the same bar contains two sixteenth note kicks followed by a snare. This alone (but not only this) give the break an accelerated feel of pushing fowards at an increasing pace. -- Place one amen after another, and delete the 2nd and 3rd kick from the first bar; the first bar will feel slower than the second. And together you have an example of phrasal acceleration. --