A Model for Musical Rhythm

At least four elements characterize musical rhythm: 1) metric content, a quantized attribute; 2) ametric phrases, those unrelated to any tactus; 3) tempo variation, change in the number of beats per second; and 4) event shifting, time deviations from a steady beat. This deconstruction provides a means to represent timing features from di erent musical styles. Both tempo variation and event shift information can operate at di erent levels of the metric hierarchy found in music. This representation will facilitate the analysis and production of musical style to the extent that it is rhythmically expressed.