The temporal dimension (dT)
What is the temporal dimension?
The temporal dimension describes the temporal elements of music, commonly referred to as rhythms. This dimension measures both the location in time and the duration of these elements.
It is represented by a numbered horizontal axis where the time elements are arranged.
The elements of the temporal dimension are built on a base of constant pulsations, marked by the metronome. The pulsations allow us to define the velocity of a composition.
Pulsations are the unit of measurement of the temporal dimension. One pulsation covers one temporal interval (iT) 1, which is equivalent to the distance between two pulses (P) in a row.
Pulsations and pulses are two sides of the same coin: pulsations cannot exist without pulses, and vice versa. The pulsations emphasize the space in between while the pulses emphasize the points themselves. On the other hand, the concept of pulsation is more linked to the structure of the idea, used mainly to define velocity, while the concept of pulse is more linked to the content of the idea, used to create rhythms.
A segment is a piece of a composition. It integrates the two dimensions of music, perfectly synchronizing the sound elements with the temporal ones. In the case of the temporal dimension, we can think of segments as groupings of pulses that divide the timeline into smaller parts.
The temporal dimension of a composition is defined by three basic parameters:
Length (Li): The number of beats contained in an idea, numbered from 0.
Time (T): This is the duration of the idea expressed in minutes and seconds.
Velocity (V): This is the speed of the composition expressed in pulsations per minute (PPM).
The temporal formula interrelates these three parameters and allows us to vary their values to configure temporal ideas with the characteristics we want.
Through this formula we can precisely structure the temporal dimension of our composition.
Although velocity seems to be a constant parameter, depending on the interpretation we give to the music it can become something varied and relative, that is why there are concepts such as fast or slow. In conventional notation this subjectivity is described with words such as andante or allegro, terms that bring expressiveness to the composition.