Musical Rhythms: A Mathematical Investigation

Dr Marcel Jackson (Mathematics, La Trobe University) takes us through the mathematics of rhythm and music.

Rhythm is one of the more overtly mathematical aspects of melody and musical structure. But is there more to it than simply fractions? In this general-interest lecture we will consider what rhythm might mean mathematically, and what some existing mathematical investigations into rhythm have revealed. It will be a journey through classical, jazz, world music, and modern rock music variants from Elvis Presley to metal. There’s no magic formula for the perfect rhythm, but there are compelling reasons why some rhythms might be classified as more natural than others.

The talk is aimed at a general audience: no university level mathematics is assumed beyond simple arithmetic and the ability to read an analogue clock! Along the way we’ll touch on connections with problems arising in neutron source accelerators, classic number theory, infinite words, paper folding, fractal patterns and dynamical systems.

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