I hope I manage to explain this question properly!

I am the first of my teacher’s pupils to get to grade four theory as she has only been a teacher for a few years (although is very talented) and as a result she isn’t always sure of how things should be marked. This has been made easier with the answers now being available but I still have a question on the rhythm writing.

I always pick writing a rhythm to words, and have noticed it says to write the syllable under the ‘note or notes’ to which itbelongs. My teacher has told me to stick to one note per syllable, but the instructions seem to be saying it is OK to write on syllable to use more than one note (which in songs they so often do).

So, I was wondering what the examiners are looking for? Is it marked on how interesting the rhythm is or just whether you pick an appropriate time signature and make it add up right?

And how do I write the words underneath is I make on syllable go over more than one note?

I don’t want to lose any marks as I want to get another distinction on Nov 6 but I also want to do better at rhythm-writing as it is my worse question, and my teacher doesn’t seem to be able to help me on this one.

Thanks.

I think your teacher's advice is good to start with. When you get a bit more confident you can write more than one note to some of the syllables if you wish. The important thing is to make it clear which syllable goes with which note, with no doubt about this. Give it plenty of space so you don't end up squeezing things in which tends to be less clear.

Have you got a method for starting ? The really important thing is to get the natural word stresses and the musical stresses to fit with each other,( rather than getting a strong (first) beat on a weak or unimportant syllable).

Write out the words, with separate syllables, fairly well spaced out.

Read the words to yourself, fairly slowly, (not like in a conversation I mean), noting where the strong syllables come. Underline the syllables you feel are stronger --

eg girls and boys come out to play

as a simple example, rather than the opposite.

Stick a bar line in front of each of the stronger syllables. This gives you your framework, and makes a fair starting point. Ignore this if you already have a system of your own that works. The appropriate time signature and the bars adding up correctly are important too, of course. Start simple and get the framework right - you can add interest as you get more confident. Hope this makes sense.

It makes sense but doesn;t answer my question!

I'm a copywriter and editor, and also write poetry, so no help needed on that score, although I have to say the words chosen for the exams are always tedious little rhyming couplets that drain all creativity out of me.

I just wanted to know what the examiners are wanting, and whether something simple but correct is OK as my teacher seems to think it isn;t, and that the rhythms have to have dotted notes, triplets, and other 'complications' in order to get full marks.

EDIt - I'm grateful for the reply, and please excuse my typos but I can;t be bothered to type properly in my leisure time!

In my last singing lesson we were discussing this. (Although not for the purposes of theory and composition)

One of the pieces I am preparing for diploma purposes (Quilter's Fear No More the Heat o'er the Sun) virtually has one note per syllable. It seems there was a school of thought that music should be written in that manner. (Similar to plain song (apart from the decorations))

Whereas conversely in Handel's Revenge Timotheus Cries there are several bars to one syllable (Handel semi-quaver runs) - probably about 40 notes to one syllable.

(I'm not marking theory or composition) To me neither is more right or wrong than the other, they are just different styles and need to be treated differently. It _might_ be that at grade 4 level it might be more appropriate to keep things 'simple' by sticking to one note per syllable. Although that might ostensibly be simpler it means a song will tend to have more words in it, which could mean more changes in the mood of the music to fit to the extra words.

right - apologies for the boring example then !

The suggestion to put a bar line in front of each stronger syllable means that in the example I am working on I will have to make each syllable cover more than one note otherwise it till have to have two notes per bar in most bars, and three notes in two others. So unless I change the time signature twice(!) I guess I am supposed to be looking at more than one note per syllable.

I'm not so sure that more than one note to a syllable works at grade 4 when it's rhythm only.
Once you have your basic framework you can play about with it a bit by shortening/lengthening some notes to bring in dotted notes/triplets/syncopation but I wouldn't go over the top with it as it's only a short extract.
I think that a fairly 'straight' working which has the stresses in the right places would get at least a pass mark for the question with more marks for some more interest out in.
Try to see that your phrases balance too.

Well - you could also try putting a barline in front of every other strong syllable - this will work in some cases but it depends on the example.

Sbhoa gives you good advice. I think having multiple notes to a syllable is fine - but it kind of pre-supposes that there is a melody to change note on. With a rhythm only there is much less point to this.

YEah. I think the problem is that I am a singer, so to come up with a rhythm I sing a melody to the words in my head.

I really find it such a hard question! I'm not being deliberately awkward on here I just struggle so much and am not sure what the examiners want.

All teh words they give you just go 'de da de da de dah de dah, de da de da de dah, de da de da de dah de dah, de da de da de dah' and I find is SO uninspiring.

Have you tried working the alternative?
It's usually a good idea to be able to work both options where you have a choice as occasionally the one you normally choose is a particularly tricky example in the actual exam.

Get the stresses right in the first instance, then play around with the rythm a bit of you are able.

so to come up with a rhythm I sing a melody to the words in my head.

Yes - I had a hunch that was what's happening. It can be quite difficult to separate melody and rhythm if you are naturally hearing both.

I have, but I find it quite hard often, working out what the bit they have written sounds like. I just really struggle with this kind of question.