Polyrhythm

2:3 polyrhythm (cross rhythm) as bounce inside oval

Polyrhythm (/ˈpɒlirɪðəm/) is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter.^[2] The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhythm), or a momentary section. Polyrhythms can be distinguished from irrational rhythms, which can occur within the context of a single part; polyrhythms require at least two rhythms to be played concurrently, one of which is typically an irrational rhythm. Concurrently in this context means within the same rhythmic cycle. The underlying pulse, whether explicit or implicit can be considered one of the concurrent rhythms. For example, the son clave is poly-rhythmic because its 3 section suggests a different meter from the pulse of the entire pattern.^[3]

^ Slenczynska (1976). Music At Your Fingertips: Advice For The Artist And Amateur On Playing The Piano, p. 43. ISBN 0-306-80034-9.
^ New Harvard Dictionary of Music (1986: 646). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
^ Novotney, Eugene D. (1998: 265). The 3:2 Relationship as the Foundation of Timelines in West African Musics^{[dead link]}, Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois. Archived 20 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine

[Fingertips-1] Slenczynska (1976). Music At Your Fingertips: Advice For The Artist And Amateur On Playing The Piano, p. 43. ISBN 0-306-80034-9.

[2] New Harvard Dictionary of Music (1986: 646). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

[3] Novotney, Eugene D. (1998: 265). The 3:2 Relationship as the Foundation of Timelines in West African Musics^{[dead link]}, Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois. Archived 20 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine

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