Why we think Songwriters NEED to understand Polyrhythms
At Songbay we often receive specific scenario/film briefs from producers looking to source music. Here’s one such example: “There are several characters (people) all trying to reach a destination within the same time frame, we need the music to mirror this”.
What musical devices could we use to tackle this brief?
We could:
- Use polyphonic texture to portray the complex nature of the setting. (***Can you write in Polyphonic style*****??).
- Use Polyrhythms to further support the sense of multi speed/time travel. If you have a firm grasp of cross rhythms and can articulate this in your music, you are surely going to be in with a chance of making the short list for this film brief-Here is a brilliant document that explains cross rhythms (Simply!), i.e., 2 against 3, 3 against 4, etc. Hope you find it useful.
Best
