Euclidean rhythm with palindromic rests

Abstract

The structure of the Euclidean algorithm can be used to generate a very large family of rhythms. In this paper, we explore a very specific family of Euclidean rhythms, the Euclidean rhythms in which the rests have a palindromic structure. We look at the structural and geometric properties of such rhythms; most of the properties have a certain combinatorial interest. We also show how operations can be defined on such rhythms to construct a larger family of rhythms. Towards the end of the paper, we also show applications of these rhythms in contemporary Indian Classical music.