Examples are welcome.
In: Other
I know very little, basically nothing, but I am making the semi safe assumption polyphia’s music is all about them.
It’s when two different but constant rhythms are played one over top of each other, such that they line up sometimes but not others.
The simplest example would be playing a “3” and a “2” rhythm at the same time.
For example, with your left hand you tap two times per second. With your right hand you tap three times per second.
Once per second, your left and right hands tap at the same time. The other taps are different, and the combination of the two creates a new, more complex pattern.
Here’s a great demonstration of that polyrhythm:
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/P6vFVi4ZOCc](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/P6vFVi4ZOCc)
Note how the “2” and the “3” are steady and simple, but when you put them together you get a much more interesting, complex pattern.
Now here’s 4 over 3 – even harder!
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DuG0oAEF2hE](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DuG0oAEF2hE)
It means using two rhythms at the same time. A simple example is when you hear a metal drummer playing double-bass triplets over a bass’s quarter notes. It’s not necessarily written this way, but it’s like the drummer is playing a 12/8 time signature while the bassist plays 4/4.
Listen to this amazing [prog metal drummer reinterpret Nickelback](https://youtu.be/qcKJWJUL2S4?t=408). The original song is a straight 4/4 bass pump from the drummer. He gives it the double-bass 12/8 treatment. He plays every beat as a triplet, a quick1,2,3 / 1,2,3 / 1,2,3 / 1,2,3. He’s still in 4/4 on the ride cymbal. It makes it more energetic and adds fun complexity to listen to the layers.
They can get much more complex, and they add texture to music. You can kind of choose what to pay attention to and it breaks the music up into different feels, all playing together.
King Gizzard are all about the polyrythms, especially their album Polygondwanaland. [This post here](https://www.reddit.com/r/KGATLW/comments/7o4bqn/crumbling_castle_polymeter_analysis/) has a great breakdown of all the time signatures used in the first (epic) song from that album.
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