Music Glossary: rhythm-and-meter category

Emphasis on beats 2 and 4 in 4/4; core of rock, pop, funk feel. more

Consistent 2 & 4 with micro-variations; lock with bass and guitars. more

Primary pulse and its division (eighths, triplets, sixteenths); defines groove detail. more

2-3/3-2 clave, cascara; alignment rules inform Latin grooves. more

Standard baton patterns for simple/compound meters; aids ensemble cohesion. more

Very soft notes adding texture and motion without changing the main rhythm. more

Low-level notes fill subdivisions; add motion without overplaying. more

Metric reinterpretation (e.g., 3 groups of 2 against 2 groups of 3); barline blur. more

Switch accents across barlines to imply alternate meters. more

Intentional micro-variations in timing/velocity to restore feel after quantization. more

Tala cycles (teental, rupak), claps/waves, tihai endings for rhythmic cadence. more

Organization of beats; simple divides by 2 (2/4, 3/4, 4/4), compound by 3 (6/8, 9/8). more

Intentional ahead/behind placement; small deviations create feel. more

Groupings (e.g., 2+3, 3+2+2) make complex meters feel natural. more

Meters outside 2/4/3/4/4/4, often additive (5/8, 7/8, 11/8) with grouping patterns. more

Tight, consistent timing feel where rhythm section locks together. more

Different meters layered with shared downbeat cycle (e.g., 3/4 over 4/4). more

Simultaneous contrasting subdivisions (e.g., 3:2, 4:3). more

Layer conflicting pulses; practice with clapping/foot ostinatos. more

Aligning notes to a grid; from subtle tighten to hard quantize; beware loss of feel. more

Editor grid resolution; dictates snap/quantize behavior and edit precision. more

Triplet-based timing that delays offbeats; essential in jazz, blues, and shuffle rock. more

Tempo-dependent ratio (≈2:1 to 1.2:1); calibrate to drummer and style. more

Accenting weak beats/offbeats or tying across beats; adds forward momentum and surprise. more

Anticipations, suspensions, tied-over accents; create forward motion. more

Speed of the beat measured in beats per minute; foundation for feel and energy. more

Plan push/pull across sections; use ritard/accelerando landmarks. more