Culture · 6 pages · 12 min

How rhythm and meter differ

Rhythm is the pattern of durations, and meter is the recurring grid those durations play against.

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From the opening

Rhythm is the actual pattern of durations, silences, and accents as they occur in time. Meter is a recurring framework that groups pulses into measures, with stronger and weaker positions, so the same rhythm can be heard against a stable grid. The opening covers the grid is not the pattern, rests can keep the meter, and chant can have rhythm without a bar.

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Inside

The grid is not the pattern
Rests can keep the meter
Chant can have rhythm without a bar
Hemiola needs both terms
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Meter as hierarchical grouping of beats
Rhythm as the sounded pattern of durations

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How rhythm and meter differ

From the opening

Inside

Sources

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