”Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand (from 2004) starts with a tempo of 142 Bpm. At 0:48 it starts to slow down and it settles at 104 Bpm after approximately 10 seconds. Can you identify what sounds in the music sets the new (slower) main beat?
Watch the video;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-3HO8LoBxE
In the part where the tempo changes and in the continuation there are many visual effects that emphasize the (slower) main beat. How many can you identify (from 0:48 till 1:30)?
At 1:05 a hi-hat sound starts at the off-beat (= between the sounds of the main beat). Try to nod your head to the main beat. Is you head up or down with this hi-hat sound (between the main beats)? Discuss the effect of the hi-hat sound on a head nodding activity – does it help the nodding? (Compare before and after 1:05 in the track).
Listen to the track “Message Man” by Twenty One Pilots (from 2015).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE_54CU7Fxk
At 0:32 you’ll here that the main beat seems to change from 120 Bpm to half time (60 Bpm). The tempo does not change, but there is something in the rhythmic landscape that has changed. Discuss what is happening in the music and how this change is both produced and experienced.