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We usually think of rhythm
as an element of music,
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but it's actually found everywhere in
the world around us,
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from the ocean tides
to our own heartbeats,
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rhythm is essentially an event repeating
regularly over time.
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Even the ticking of a clock itself
is a sort of rhythm.
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But for musical rhythm,
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a steady string of repeating single
beats is not enough.
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For that, we need at least one opposing
beat with a different sound,
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which can be the unstressed off beat
or the accented back beat.
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There are several ways to make
these beats distinct,
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whether by using high and low drums,
or long and short beats.
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Which ends up being heard as the main
beat is not a precise rule,
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but like the famous Rubin's vase, can be
reversed depending on cultural perception.
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In standard notation, rhythm is indicated
on a musical bar line,
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but there are other ways.
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Remember that ticking clock?
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Just as its round face can trace the
linear passage of time,
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the flow of rhythm can be
traced in a circle.
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The continuity of a wheel can be
a more intuitive way to visualize rhythm
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than a linear score that requires moving
back and forth along the page.
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We can mark the beats at different
positions around the circle
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using blue dots for main beats,
orange ones for off beats,
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and white dots for secondary beats.
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Here is a basic two beat rhythm with
a main beat and an opposing off beat.
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Or a three beat rhythm with a main beat,
an off beat, and a secondary beat.
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And the spaces between each beat
can be divided into further sub-beats
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using multiples of either two or three.
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Layering multiple patterns using
concentric wheels
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lets us create more complex rhythms.
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For example, we can combine a basic
two beat rhythm with off beats
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to get a four beat system.
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This is the recognizable backbone of
many genres popular around the world,
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from rock,
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country,
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and jazz,
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to reggae
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and cumbia.
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Or we can combine a two beat
rhythm with a three beat one.
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Eliminating the extra main beat
and rotating the inner wheel
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leaves us with a rhythm whose
underlying feel is three-four.
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This is the basis of the music of
Whirling Dervishes,
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as well as a broad range of
Latin American rhythms,
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such as Joropo,
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and even Bach's famous Chaconne.
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Now if we remember Rubin's vase
and hear the off beats as the main beats,
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this will give us a six-eight feel,
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as found in genres such as Chacarera,
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and Quechua,
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Persian music and more.
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In an eight beat system,
we have three layered circles,
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each rhythm played by
a different instrument.
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We can then add an outermost layer
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consisting of an additive
rhythmic component,
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reinforcing the main beat
and increasing accuracy.
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Now let's remove everything
except for this combined rhythm
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and the basic two beat on top.
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This rhythmic configuration is found
as the Cuban cinquillo,
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in the Puerto Rican bomba,
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and in Northern Romanian music.
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And rotating the outer circle
90 degrees counterclockwise
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gives us a pattern often found
in Middle Eastern music,
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as well as Brazilian choro,
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and Argentinian tango.
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In all of these examples, the underlying
rhythm reinforces the basic one-two,
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but in different ways depending on
arrangement and cultural context.
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So it turns out that the wheel method
is more than just a nifty way
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of visualizing complex rhythms.
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By freeing us from the tyranny
of the bar line,
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we can visualize rhythm
in terms of time,
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and a simple turn of the wheel can take us
on a musical journey around the world.