Polyrhythmic Configurations, Structures, and Tempo. A Self-Observational Study of Single-Line Polyrhythms in Percussion Performance

Abstract

Although polyrhythms are usually defined as two or more rhythms of incongruent subdivisions, polyrhythms can also be performed as single-line polyrhythms, in which the played rhythm is incongruent with an experienced pulse. This thesis explores the performance possibilities of single-line polyrhythms in a practice-led, self-observational study, which investigates how polyrhythmic configurations relate to tempo limits and how tempo influences polyrhythmic structure (i.e. mental organisation) in the context of percussion performance. For the study, I designed a large set of rhythmic exercises, informed by a theoretical exploration of polyrhythmic types and pedagogical approaches; I then played these exercises in a wide range of tempos and took notes on my experiences during the practice sessions. The results show that the polyrhythmic configurations in the exercises influenced the playable tempo range for each exercise, with differences shown between fast and slow tempo ranges. In addition, the results show that various performance strategies, such as mental subdivision or motion-based strategies, can facilitate performance for certain tempo ranges and polyrhythmic configurations.