The short guide
Understand the idea
A polyrhythm combines different rhythmic divisions of the same span of time. In this workshop, two evenly spaced Kick pulses and three evenly spaced Clap pulses both fit inside one four-beat cycle. Their starts align, but the other hits interlock. Neither pattern has a longer loop than the other.
What you can explore
- Compare two against three, then three against four.
- Mute the other row to follow one pattern alone.
- Add an accent without moving a pulse or changing the cycle length.
A worked example
Two pulses meet three pulses
Press Play to follow the two Kick pulses, then stop. Add the three Clap pulses and play again. The Clap hits divide exactly the same time into three parts. To see how they fit, imagine six equal positions: Kick uses positions 1 and 4; Clap uses 1, 3 and 5. Both begin at 1 and start together again on the next cycle. These positions are calculated from the pattern, not measured from your tapping.
- Kick
- Two pulses across four beats: beat 0 and beat 2.
- Clap
- Three pulses across four beats: beat 0, 4/3 and 8/3.
- Together
- The beginning of each shared cycle.
One span, different divisions
Each row spreads its pulse starts evenly across the same horizontal space. The end marker is the next cycle, not an extra hit. With three against four, one row divides that space into three parts and the other divides it into four. The cycle remains four beats at 90 BPM. The same span can be divided into twelve equal positions.
This is different from letting a three-beat loop run against a four-beat loop. Those patterns have different lengths. Here both rows return to their beginning together every cycle. Swing stays off so their equal divisions are preserved.
Follow one row, then hear the conversation
Use Mute Kick or Mute Clap to isolate a pattern. Muting keeps its timing and accent choices. Restore the other row when you want the complete pattern again. Whole-loop level changes both parts together. If both rows are muted or level reaches zero, an explicit recovery button restores both at 70% without changing their timing.
Tap a numbered pulse to make it stronger. Tap it again to return to even strength. The diamond marks the accent in addition to its visual emphasis. It changes playback velocity, not pitch, pulse count or position. Each row can have one stronger pulse. Changing the pulse pair clears both accents and keeps level and mute choices.
Explore without a timing test
You never need to tap on a beat, use both hands or get an answer right to continue. The optional challenge simply invites a stronger pulse away from the shared start. Undo restores your last saved change. Editing stops sound; press Play again to hear the current pattern. Quiet mode supports the same visible timing choices and an honest settings review. Finish with a text recipe describing the actual counts, accents, mutes and level. It is not a hearing score.
Common questions
Do I need to count perfectly?
No. You can mute a row, inspect the spacing or work entirely without sound. There is no timed input, microphone recording or performance grade.
Why do the rows have the same length?
The selected pulse counts divide one shared time span. That equal span is central to this demonstration; different-length looping patterns would teach a different concept.
Does a stronger pulse change the rhythm?
It changes the emphasis you hear, but not the pulse timing or count. The diamond shows your chosen accent. Tap it again to make that row even, or use Undo to restore the previous choice.
Published by TunePal. Interactive examples for beginner music producers.