Meter, Beat Hierarchy and Hypermeter in Performance
Meter is a pattern of strong and weak positions, not a time signature: how it is built, how it stretches past the bar, and where performance contradicts it.
Topic
Rhythm & Meter
Beats, subdivisions, syncopation, hypermeter and the difference between a cross-rhythm and a polyrhythm.
Meter, beat and subdivision are three different things, and most rhythm problems come from confusing them. These pieces cover the beat hierarchy, syncopation, hemiola, hypermeter, polyrhythm against cross-rhythm, and the honest problem of notating swing.
Polyrhythm and Cross-Rhythm: Counting the Distinction
Polyrhythm, cross-rhythm and polymeter are not interchangeable. Counting the ratios shows what separates a divided span from a pattern set against a metre.
Swing Timing: What the Notation Does Not Say
Jazz notation asks for swing and leaves the ratio to the players, because the timing is tempo-dependent and a fixed written value would be wrong at most speeds.
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