What is polymeter?
Two or more meters happening simultaneously
What is implied polymeter?
Two or more identical meters happening at the same time, but one line is written to sound as if it is in a different meter
What is polyrhythm?
Two or more rhythmic divisions occuring at the same time
An asymmetric meter is a time signature in which the beats are not devided equally.
What is important to know?
When we look at asymmetric meter, how the beams are grouped is very important. If the notes are beamed together it is felt in one. More likely than not, it will be grouped in 2’s and 3’s. 5/8 can be grouped as 2+3 or 3+2, or 5 (sometimes).
When we write in interesting meters, it is for the musician, not for the listener. Stravinsky is that master of tricking the listeners ear with meter.
Polymeter is when you have two different meters going on at the same time. Mixed meter (changing meter) is when you change meter throughout a musical example.
The advantage of polymeter is to create a polyrhythm in a ensemble.
Ex: 5/8 against 2/4.
Ex: 6/8 against 2/4. There are two ways to approach this, with the dotted quarter and quarter sharing the beat, or sharing the pulse of the eigth note. If the dotted quarter and quarter share a beat, you get a 3 against 2 (hemiola) on every big beat. If the eigth note stays the same, you get a hemiola on a larger scale, lining up the big beat every 2 measures for 6/8 and every 3 measures for 2/4.
Metric Modulation is when the meter changes, but the eighth note doesn’t stay the same. There are examples of this that seem like they could not be metric modulation (6/8 and 2/4 with the same beat), and some take the eighth note in a quintuplet and make that the new beat.