Pattern and Variation in the Timing of Aksak Meter: Commentary on Goldberg

Abstract

Daniel Goldberg (2015, this issue) explores relations between timing variations, grouping structure, and musical form in the percussive accompaniment of Balkan folk dance music. A chronometric re-analysis of one of the target article's two audio samples finds a regular metric timing pattern to consistently underlie the variations Goldberg uncovered. Read together, the target article and this commentary demonstrate the complex interplay of a regular timing pattern with several levels of nuanced variation to be performed with fluency, flexibility, and accuracy. This might appear commonplace, but here it is observed in the context of an asymmetric rhythmic mode, non-isochronous beat sequence, and asymmetric metric hierarchy. This context evidently does not represent a constraint of any sort in respect to the rhythmic timing performance, which casts doubts on the deep-seated assumption that metric regularity depends on iso-periodicity and vertical symmetry. This assumption is sometimes explicitly and often implicitly taken as universal; this comment suggests that, on the contrary, it might well be culturally biased. KEYWORDS: timing, asymmetric rhythm, non-isochronous meterMUSIC theorist Daniel Goldberg (2015, this issue) studies the timing of percussive rhythms in two recorded live performances from south-eastern Europe. In one recording, Macedonian singer Muzafer Bizlim taps along his own singing; in the other, Bulgarian drummer Mitko Popov plays in an instrumental ensemble accompanying song and dance. Both performances share that their rhythmic modes involve metric cycles of two unequal beat durations (long vs. short), of the type conventionally addressed as aksak, or asymmetric, or non-isochronous meter (Brăiloiu, 1984;Cler, 1994;Arom, 2004;Moelants, 2006;London, 2012). The metric cycle involves three beats (long-short-short) and seven subdivisions, which are grouped by the beats into units of 3-2-2 ( x . . x . x . ).The study is based on chronometric timing analysis and informed by music analytic and ethnographic insights. Its focus is on exploring differences-variations and flexibilities-in the timing data, and suggesting hypotheses about possible influences of other aspects of musical structure and performance on the observed timing differences. The article is particularly welcome as a contribution to performance timing studies in aksak-based rhythms (see Cler, 1997;Moelants, 2006) and thus to the growing body of chronometric research on genres beyond European art music and jazz.[1] INFLUENCE AND INTERDEPENDENCE OF TIMING, GROUPING, AND FORMGoldberg's thinking follows the mainstream of chronometric timing research in that it asks for influences of other musical factors (other aspects of the musical structure and performance) on timing, not vice-versa. Recently, however, musicologists, music theorists, and ethnomusicologists have begun to empirically examine also the constitution (not only expression) of musical style and meaning (Leech-Wilkinson, 2009;, metric structure (Polak, 2010), and grouping ...

Commentary on Mari Romarheim Haugen: Investigating Periodic Body Motions as a Tacit Reference Structure in Norwegian Telespringar Performance

“…Interindividual musical entrainment is what determines the dynamics of physical coordination between people (Clayton, 2012(Clayton, , 2013. Polak (2015), commenting on Goldberg's study of Aksak meter in southeastern Europe (2015) also casts doubt on the widely-held belief that metric regularity strongly privileges vertical symmetry and iso-periodicity. The recordings analysed by Goldberg present an asymmetric rhythmic mode, non-isochronous beat sequence, and asymmetric metric hierarchy.…”

Arranged Bursa folk songs for fourhands piano and their practice in music education departments

“…According to the data from P6, "Finger numbering was 9 Aksak Measure: When irregular meters are defined, different terms are used to describe them including "irregular", "mixed", odd" (Gates, 1962), "asymmetric" or "aksak" (Moelants, 2006;Polak, 2015) difficult because the pieces are the arrangements of Turkish music".…”

Both Isochronous and Non-Isochronous Metrical Subdivision Afford Precise and Stable Ensemble Entrainment: A Corpus Study of Malian Jembe Drumming

“…The main thrust of rhythm research in comparative musicology and ethnomusicology has been to emphasize the dramatic range of cultural diversity and difference, not only in their surface rhythms, but also in the metrical systems that function as frameworks for their rhythm perception and production. It is empirically evident that music in many parts of the world makes structural usage of non-isochronous beats, including northern Europe (Kvifte, 2007 ; Johansson, 2009 ; Haugen, 2014 ), south-east Europe (Brăiloiu, 1984 ; Moelants, 2006 ; Goldberg, 2015 ; Polak, 2015 ), Turkey (Cler, 1997 ; Bates, 2011 ; Holzapfel, 2015 ; Reinhard et al, 2015 ), Egypt and the Arab world (Marcus, 2001 , 2007 ), Central Asia (During, 1997 ), India (Clayton, 1997 , 2000 ), and parts of Africa and its diasporas (Gerischer, 2003 , 2006 ; Polak, 2010 ; Jankowsky, 2013 ; Haugen and Godøy, 2014 ; Polak and London, 2014 ). Both isochronous and non-isochronous beats co-exist in most, if not all, of these regions.…”