polymeter
Simultaneous different meters
Polymeter is the simultaneous use of two or more different meters in music—for instance, one instrument playing in 3/4 time while another plays in 4/4.
The overlapping rhythmic patterns create tension and complexity, cycling through before realigning: The drummer's polymeter against the bassist's steady four made the groove feel unstable but hypnotic.
Common in progressive rock, jazz, and West African drumming traditions.
Rhythmic notation fraction
- cross-rhythmSimultaneous contrasting beat patterns
- measureUnit of quantity
- barDrinking establishment
- beatRhythmic pulse or strike
tempo · notation · conducting · composition · orchestration · score · ensemble · phrasing
Arterial blood throb
- cycleRepeating sequence of events
- periodicityRecurring at regular intervals
- accentuationStress placed on syllables
- syncopationStressed unexpected beats
offbeat · displacement · groove · flow · timing · oscillation · pattern · simultaneity
Metered poetic passage
- scansionAnalyzing verse rhythm patterns
- prosodyStudy of verse rhythm
- iambicVerse rhythm type
- trochaicStressed-unstressed metrical pattern
anapestic · dactylic · spondaic · foot · stress · syllable · cadence · quantitative
Indonesian percussive ensemble
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- Afro-CubanBlending African and Cuban
- BalkanSoutheastern European peninsula region
Stravinsky · Reich · electronica · fusion · world-music
Simultaneous independent melodic lines
- contrapuntalInterlocking independent melodies
- canonAccepted authoritative works
- fugueContrapuntal musical form
- imitationCopy of the original
independence · layering · interweaving · texture · stratification · simultaneous
Elaborately detailed, many parts
- layeredHaving multiple levels
- sophisticatedWorldly and cultured
- multifacetedHaving many dimensions
- nonlinearNot in sequence
systematic · elaborate · nuanced · interplay · tension · ambiguity · disorientation · cognitive
time-signature
Rhythmic notation fraction
- cross-rhythmSimultaneous contrasting beat patterns
- measureUnit of quantity
- barDrinking establishment
beat · tempo · notation · conducting · composition · orchestration · score · ensemble · phrasing · dynamics
pulse
Arterial blood throb
- cycleRepeating sequence of events
- periodicityRecurring at regular intervals
- accentuationStress placed on syllables
syncopation · offbeat · displacement · groove · flow · timing · oscillation · pattern · simultaneity · interlocking
verse
Metered poetic passage
trochaic · anapestic · dactylic · spondaic · foot · stress · syllable · cadence · quantitative
gamelan
Indonesian percussive ensemble
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- Afro-CubanBlending African and Cuban
Balkan · Stravinsky · Reich · electronica · fusion · world-music
polyphony
Simultaneous independent melodic lines
- contrapuntalInterlocking independent melodies
- canonAccepted authoritative works
- fugueContrapuntal musical form
imitation · independence · layering · interweaving · texture · stratification · simultaneous
intricate
Elaborately detailed, many parts
- layeredHaving multiple levels
- sophisticatedWorldly and cultured
- multifacetedHaving many dimensions
nonlinear · systematic · elaborate · nuanced · interplay · tension · ambiguity · disorientation · cognitive · perceptual
meter, perimeter, geometry, diameter, symmetry, thermometer, barometer, metric, odometer