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Tracing rhythm using the ‘wheel method’

Rhythm
A different way to visualize rhythm (YouTube screengrab)

Rhythm is all around us. We most often associate it with music, but we can hear it everywhere — from ocean tides, to heartbeats, to the ticking of a clock.

As John Varney points out in a recent TedEd video, "A different way to visualize rhythm," the flow of rhythm can be followed in a similar manner to the way we watch the round face of a clock and trace the passage of time. Varney calls this the 'wheel method', and claims it to be a more intuitive way to visualize rhythm than following in a linear musical score.

The wheel is marked with different colored dots representing beats. In this case, green dots are used for main beats, orange dots for off beats, and white dots for secondary beats.

In the video, Varney uses the wheel method to take us on a rhythmic journey around the world, tracing styles like quechua, bomba, choro, tango, and cumbia — just to name a few.

Watch the video on below and see the entire lesson on TedEd's website.

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