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Rhythm & TimeA–Z index
Rhythm & Time

Rhythm

The short version

The pattern of long and short sounds you actually play.

A little more

Pulse is steady; rhythm is the shape you lay over it. Clap "hap-py birth-day to you" — that's rhythm. Tap your foot underneath while you do it — that's pulse.

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Why you'd careTwo producers with the same drum kit and the same tempo sound totally different because of rhythm choices alone.
Where you'll see this in BDT
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PulseThe heartbeat under the music — the part your foot taps.BeatThe steady thing you'd count or clap along to: 1, 2, 3, 4.SyncopationPutting the emphasis where the beat isn't.GrooveThe overall feel of a rhythm — the thing that makes you move.

88 words and counting in The Music Guide. Back to the guide