{"id":25168,"date":"2023-03-23T00:17:12","date_gmt":"2023-03-23T04:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=25168"},"modified":"2023-06-08T13:31:34","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T17:31:34","slug":"what-is-polyrhythm-how-to-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/what-is-polyrhythm-how-to-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Polyrhythms: What they are and how to use them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Illustration:<\/strong> Michael Haddad<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We took a deep dive into the functionality, history, and use cases of polyrhythms for those interested in learning more, or incorporating the technique, into their music.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let us begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a polyrhythm?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Polyrhythm<\/strong> is the simultaneous use of more than one subdivision within a measure of music. This applies to both short bursts contained to one measure as well as entire songs, where it can serve as the musical backbone we rely on as listeners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subdivisions vs. phrases<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s first orient ourselves with what subdivisions are doing. When playing in a standard 4\/4 time signature, each measure experiences subdivisions,<\/strong> where notes shorter than a full note are used to break a single beat into equally-sized segments. For example, a quarter note can be subdivided into two eighth notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, an important distinction here is that performing a measure like the left (below) is not a subdivision, but rather a phrase.<\/strong> On the other hand, the image on the right is what a subdivision of two half notes would look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sheet<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the case of this example, the numeric value of the subdivision is baked directly into the note name itself, as it is for a triplet (three), quarter note (four), eighth note (eight), sixteenth note (sixteen), and so on. That number can go as high as one would like, only limited by the ability of the player, or particularly in the case of synthesis, the perception of one\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a polyrhythm sounds like<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But what if you\u2019re a piano player writing a piece in 3\/4, and want to play bass notes in triplets with your right hand, and brighter chords in quarter notes with the left? Rather than deciding between one or the other, potentially changing the time signature itself to best serve your core idea, you instead decide you\u2019d like both of them. You decide to superimpose one over the other, allowing their transients to eclipse in and out of unison at different points per beat. This would sound something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

60 BPM, with virtual instruments native to Ableton Live<\/a> (all subscription levels)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is an example of a common polyrhythm referred to as \u201cfour over three,\u201d or 4:3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, your version of this would be far more playful, potentially varying the notes or toying around with sustain more than this. That said, more complex polyrhythms usually don’t come naturally, even to players who deeply know their instrument\u2014so it\u2019s important to feel and understand the most basic pulses before embellishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may also notice with this example that the time signature and polyrhythm end up notated in reverse\u20143\/4 time experiencing a 4:3 polyrhythm. Understandably, this can be a bit confusing depending on one\u2019s skill at music notation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For comparison, listen to the examples below of three over four. You’ll first find two audio files in 4\/4, with the instruments switching places to provide you with some variance. We’ve also included a video to visualize a MIDI pattern with a bit more complexity in Ableton Live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

140 BPM, using the software synth Astra<\/a>, available with the Splice Creator and Creator+ plans<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courtesy of Nick Chen\u2014find more from him and others on the Splice YouTube channel<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When in doubt, remember that the second number in the polyrhythm\u2019s shorthand will always reflect the beats per measure, or the first number in a provided time signature. Were we to explore a more complex polyrhythm like 7:8, we could derive from that alone that the time signature delineates eight beats per measure. While the number of measures isn’t made clear, the number that’s \u201cover\u201d indicates what’s considered in conflict with what we expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s the resisting force which will likely perk up the listener’s ears at some point, at times in a more disorienting fashion than others, depending on if the polyrhythm is used as an accent or a core element of the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of polyrhythms in music<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of excellent YouTube videos which dive deep into the use of polyrhythms in contexts spanning modern hits to classical music<\/a>\u2014no doubt a tempting technique to experiment with when the main instrument for composition was the acoustic piano. Polyrhythms can present themselves in many ways; they might not want you to notice them, though sometimes they give the listener no choice. The level of tension and rhythmic dissonance is in many ways one of the primary decisions in composing with this expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The general consensus is that the use of polyrhythms originally derived from African music, in particular throughout performances with extensive layers of percussion. As this music has inspired\u2014and been appropriated by\u2014the world, we now find the use of polyrhythms in a far more expansive range of genres that include, jazz, progressive rock, metal, math rock, and a range of Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latino\/a forms of expression. We\u2019ve put together a few recommendations here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n