Lesson 2: What Is Pulse?

What Is Pulse?

Pulse, in music, is a phenomenon no different from Pulse in our bodies. It is the basis on which music is structured upon such that one has the freedom to express. As with everything else, music requires a universal structure which is the foundation behind every note played or sung, or every moment silent, in order for it to have a semblance of logicality or continuity that allows the music to be perceived much like a language as well as an art. Just as much as you can't write literature without sentences, you can't express music without Pulse. (This statement might incite some people to accept a challenge to create pulseless music, which challenges even our innate rhythmic senses)

Pulse doesn't refer to obvious, repetitive, strict time that is always 4 crotchets to a bar or even 23 quavers to one. Instead Pulse refers to an intrinsic organisation of time that all humans have, as in the basis behind our ability to dance to music and feel a structure and passing of time through music. Even "free time" is done best with a strong sense of Pulse behind it, such that if you can sense the Pulse from the start to the end there is always a constant rhythm going behind which is the Pulse that might be grouped in different ways according to the logical flow of the musician.

Another critical factor of Pulse is that it is ideally an inaudible sense of time, meaning that no notes would ideally be played precisely with the Pulse but instead around it. This defies most conventional idea and is probably the crux of what Pulse is all about. Think about it: Our bodies contain a heart which pumps pretty much steadily for most of the day depending on your mood, activity and many other factors which affect our heart rate. However, do we ever physically feel our pulse most of the time? If you do, I would suggest you see a doctor regarding palpitations. Our perception, our movements and our thoughts are actually running in relation to the Pulse. We think faster when our heart rate is sped up (and vice versa), and we do things slower as our heart rate slows down (and vice versa again), but we would never thinking and moving exactly as our body's Pulse does, if it does it'll probably cause awkwardness, robotic movements and weird sensations (which is why if you always feel your heartbeat there's something wrong). Being organisms, humans are meant to be organic and fluid, such that movements are gradual rather than step-based. It is the same with music, when we play music that is always on the Pulse, it basically becomes robotic, because it is like moving together with your own body's Pulse.

Before the advent of technology, due to the fact that there was no such thing as digital or robotic, music was made mostly with a strong sense of Pulse but never on it. Live music never aimed to be on the Pulse despite the metronome and the over-dependence on it because there were no sounds and music that was on the Pulse. But don't take my word for it, feel the difference when you listen to these two famous pop songs done differently.

Case Example 1
Sara Bareilles' Love Song - Studio Version


vs Sara Bareilles' Love Song Live At Abbey Road


Case Example 2
Bruno Mars' Nothin' On You Studio Version


Bruno Mars' Nothin' On You covered on YouTube


Can you feel the difference in the emotional texture and the groove of the music? One was basically on the Pulse and the other was somewhat around the Pulse especially for Sara Bareille's live version, and the vocals of the guy who covered Nothin' On You.

So, in summary, Pulse is the organisational structure on which musical structure, complex or simple, is built upon. It is the basic building block - not harmony nor any strict rhythm. It is an inaudible component of music that gives direction to the music and allows music to spring forth but when the Pulse becomes audible (or simply that the music/notes are all on the Pulse), very often the music would end up being robotic and awkward.

This is a simplistic and rather directive way of describing Pulse as like most things, a short overview is unlikely to completely explain the full idea behind Pulse, therefore if you're interested, feel free to explore further into this blog for more ideas on Pulse-Based Music Education. =)