rhythm explained
theoryRIH-thum
A detailed guide to the organisation of time in music through patterns of sound and silence.
Rhythm is the temporal organisation of music — the pattern of durations, accents, and silences that gives music its forward motion and groove. Rhythm operates on multiple levels: the steady pulse or beat provides the foundation; meter groups beats into recurring patterns of strong and weak beats (such as the time signatures 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8); and rhythmic patterns layer subdivisions, syncopation, and rests over the underlying pulse. Tempo determines how fast the beat moves. Rhythmic complexity ranges from the steady four on the floor of dance music to the intricate polyrhythms of West African drumming and the asymmetric metres of Balkan folk music. Swing feel, a defining characteristic of jazz, involves playing eighth notes with an uneven, lilting quality. The backbeat — accenting beats two and four — defines most rock and pop music.