Rhythm Rhythm is sonic action in time. More specifically, rhythm is the arrangement of durational sonic patterns or tone lengths that fall on or between the beat. Try clapping the melodic rhythm of a favorite song . Sense the rhythm of the melody without the additional element of pitch. Rhythm is shaped by meter .
Composers arrange rhythms so that count one of the meter gives the point of reference of the rhythm.
Musicians say that a rhythmic pattern originates with count one, and the rhythmic pattern itself indicates where count 1 falls in the beat. Clap the rhythmic melody of your favorite song again. Tap your foot to the beat. Rhythm is generated by divisions of the beat. When music has a steady beat, the rhythmic patterns that comprise the music are generated by sounding tones on the beat, and between the beat.