lesson
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Put your hand on your heart for a moment. Can you feel that steady thump, thump, thump?
Music has a heartbeat too! In music, we call this the steady beat.
📊Interactive diagram
The steady beat is an even pulse that stays the exact same speed from start to finish, just like walking with even footsteps.
No matter what happens in the song, the beat marches steadily forward without speeding up or slowing down.
So if the beat stays the same like a clock, what happens when we start singing words?
The Rhythm of the Words
When we sing, every syllable makes a sound. We call the pattern of short and long sounds the rhythm.
A syllable is a single word part or beat of spoken sound, like the two parts in 'ti-ger' or 'wa-ter'.
📊Interactive diagram
Notice how some words get one quick clap, while other words split into two or more claps!
How can you tell the difference between clapping the beat and clapping the words in your favorite song?