Okuzeka
Music vocabulary · Rhythm, Meter and Tempo

Polyrhythm

Meaning in music, with examples

nounCommon term

In music, polyrhythm means: The simultaneous use of contrasting rhythmic divisions, such as three equally spaced notes against two over the same length of time.

In Turkish: poliritim, çoklu ritim

How it is used

Used in rhythm study, drumming and ensemble work. State the relationship, such as three against two, when explaining the pattern.

Example sentences

  1. Clap four evenly spaced beats while I tap five over the same span to build the polyrhythm.

    The shared time span contains four equal divisions in one part and five in the other.

  2. The pianist slowed the passage to practise the polyrhythm between her hands.

    She is coordinating simultaneous patterns rather than changing the overall tempo independently.

Common collocations

  • five-against-four polyrhythm
  • practise a polyrhythm
  • complex polyrhythm
  • rhythmThe pattern of long and short sounds and silences in music, and how they are placed in time against the beat.
  • hemiolaA rhythmic effect that groups the same span of time in a three-to-two relationship, such as three pairs of pulses against two groups of three.
  • beatThe steady pulse that you tap your foot to in a piece of music. Beats are grouped into bars, and their speed is the tempo.

More terms: Rhythm, Meter and Tempo

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: