polyrhythm

n.

1. A section of music featuring two independent pulses of different speeds playing against each other within the same time frame. For instance, a quarter note triplet in 4/4 meter is a simple polyrhythm in which 3 notes betas take the same time and space of 2 quarter notes of the 4/4 value. Not to be confused with hemiola.

Meshuggah is a band whose music features complex polyrhythms and hemiolas.

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