Electronic Music Theory: 8 Rhythmic Devices You Should Know (Polyrhythm, Syncopation +)
I wrote about the primary elements of drum beats: measured time, drum sound selection, and the observable phenomenon of 2s and 3s. Truth be told I wrote that article to get you thinking about rhythm in a different way so I could follow it with this article. I will go over some rhythmic devices that I’ve picked up over the years from working with drummers and percussionists in a variety of live performance and studio recording situations. Being that this is a series dedicated to how music works (music theory), it is appropriate to include some examples of recorded music that utilizes these techniques, which I will do for you below. Once you’ve internalized these concepts and can recognize their idiosyncratic sounds, you’ll start hearing them all over the place. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them using the comment section down below. Alright, let’s jump in. This one example includes all eight rhythmic devices that we’ll cover below: the downbeat , the up