What is the difference between Beat and Rhythm? - ProProfs Discuss
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What is the difference between Beat and Rhythm?

Asked by Jenske , Last updated: Feb 22, 2024

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F. Hope

F. Hope

F. Hope
F. Hope

Answered Dec 11, 2020

When you say “beat,” you are referring to the tempo of the song that is not going to change. A lot of songs will have the same beat throughout the whole song, but there are also some that are more forward and different, which means that the beats are going to be a bit different.

Rhythm, on the other hand, is known to be a type of pattern. This is known to be how the notes of a song are going to flow. The sounds of a rhythm may not be equally spaced, which means that it will be different from the usual beat of a song.

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Elena Sheldon

Elena Sheldon

Being in the arts and science department amuses me every day.

Elena Sheldon
Elena Sheldon, Director of research, Diploma in Arts and Science, Berkeley, California

Answered Jul 13, 2020

The reason why people sometimes used these two terms interchangeably is that they are similar in terms of meaning, but there are still some differences between the two. When you talk of a beat, you are actually referring to the pace, tempo of a piece.

Most times, the term metronome is used to represent the beat, most especially when you consider some of these western songs. With a metronome, you can be having a constant number of pulses per minute. It has to be constant, whether it is 60 minutes per minute, or not. With this, you would be flowing with whatever you are playing at a constant pace.

At times, you see people referring to the beat of a piece using certain time signatures. While rhythm may have the same explanation as beat, it is usually determined by checking the accent and length used for notes that are played in a piece. This means the rhythm of a piece has something to do with the pitch and the length of the notes. This means the rhythm can vary, but the beat of a piece is usually constant.

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