Rhythm Patterns

Physics: Metric hierarchy: beat → subdivision → pulse. Syncopation = accent on off-beat, creating tension against the metric grid. Cross-rhythm: 3:2 = hemiola (common in African and Afro-Cuban music); 12/8 time simultaneously contains 3-feel and 4-feel. Clough-Douthett (1991): maximally even sets = Euclidean rhythms = optimal beat spacing algorithm analogous to Bresenham's line. Cross-rhythm N:M — cycles align every LCM(N,M) beats. Iyer (2002): rhythm perception involves embodied motor cognition, not just auditory pattern recognition.