The short guide
Understand the idea
A Euclidean rhythm places a chosen number of hits into a chosen number of equally spaced positions, distributing the gaps as evenly as possible. Here each circle lasts one four-beat bar. Filled dots are hits; outlined dots are rests.
What you can explore
- Separate the number of hits from the number of available steps.
- Rotate a generated pattern without changing its spacing.
- Combine two patterns that share the same bar length.
A worked example
Three hits, eight positions, a new starting point
Start with three claps across eight steps and a quiet kick on each beat. Three equal gaps cannot divide eight exactly, so the step distances between claps are a mixture of two and three. Increase Rotation by one: each clap moves one position clockwise, while the gap pattern stays the same. Add the hat circle to explore another pattern against it.
- Hits
- Three positions contain a clap.
- Steps
- Eight equal positions fit in the four-beat bar.
- Rotation
- One moves every hit one position clockwise, wrapping at the end.
Density, subdivision and rotation do different jobs
Hits changes how many events occur. Steps changes the positions available inside the same bar; it does not change the tempo. Rotation shifts the generated rhythm relative to the steady kick. Try one control at a time, then press Play loop so you can connect what changed with the result.
Reducing Steps can leave too little room for the current Hits or Rotation. This lesson adjusts those dependent values together so the new circle remains valid. The visible counts and Undo describe the whole change. Zero hits is also a valid pattern: a deliberate rest.
Two circles, one shared cycle
The first circle plays claps; the optional second circle plays closed hats. Both go around in one bar, even when they use different step counts. They meet again at the same bar boundary. The quiet kick is a reference you can remove; it is not one of the generated circles.
This is different from giving two loops different lengths. It is also not a test of which pattern is correct. Equal spreading is a useful starting point, and rotating it can create different accents. Your taste and the surrounding music decide what works.
Explore the pattern without a DAW
Use the large plus and minus buttons, sliders or typed values. The circle is a picture, so you do not need to hit tiny dots. Optional controls let you change either pattern and the kick reference. Selecting never starts sound; Play loop uses your current saved settings.
The player-clock label follows four whole beats approximately, not each small subdivision or measured speaker output. Sound-off mode shows the same real pattern without pretending to assess listening. At the end, download a text recipe of your choices. It contains no audio and does not automatically transfer to the TunePal app.
Common questions
Are steps the same as beats?
Not always. Every circle here lasts four beats. Eight steps divide those beats into eighth-note positions; sixteen divide them into sixteenth-note positions. Other step counts divide the same bar differently.
Does rotation add or remove hits?
No. Rotation shifts every hit by the same number of positions and wraps around the cycle. The number of hits and their cyclic spacing stay the same.
Is this the same as a polyrhythm?
Euclidean describes how hits are distributed. Some combinations can form different pulse relationships, but not every Euclidean pattern is a polyrhythm. Both circles in this lesson share one bar.
Did the algorithm invent these rhythms?
No. Evenly distributed patterns exist in musical traditions that predate their modern algorithmic description. This lesson explores the spacing rule without assigning a cultural identity to every generated pattern.
Can I export the sound?
This lesson supplies a text recipe, not an audio or MIDI export. Your choices are saved in this browser when storage is available. No signup is required and sound is optional.
Published by TunePal. Interactive examples for beginner music producers.