ABSTRACT
A. M. Jones writes: “e simplest rhythmic background to a song is a steady succession of regular claps.”† is is probably why regular rhythms are present in almost all the music of the world, especially if they are used for dancing or marching. In modern electronic dance music, the mixing of regular and irregular (asymmetric) rhythms is one of its key
features.* In the 12-pulse polyrhythmic music of sub-Saharan Africa, it is common to play simultaneously the four regular rhythms shown in Figure 34.3, each on a dierent drum, a percussion instrument, or with hand clapping. ese four rhythms represent all the possible divisions of the 12-pulse cycle into regular polygons, saving the 12-sided polygon obtained by playing every pulse.
