Structural Properties of Euclidean Rhythms

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the structure of Euclidean rhythms and show that a Euclidean rhythm is formed of a pattern, called the main pattern, repeated a certain number of times, followed possibly by one extra pattern, the tail pattern. We thoroughly study the recursive nature of Euclidean rhythms when generated by Bjorklund’s algorithm, one of the many algorithms that generate Euclidean rhythms. We make connections between Euclidean rhythms and Bezout’s theorem. We also prove that the decomposition obtained is minimal.

Publication
Journal of Mathematics and Music