Rhythmic segment analysis: Conceptualizing, visualizing, and measuring rhythmic data
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866908918830071808 |
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| author | Cornelissen, Bas |
| author_facet | Cornelissen, Bas |
| contents | This paper develops a framework for conceptualizing, visualizing, and measuring regularities in rhythmic data. I propose to think about rhythmic data in terms of interval segments: fixed-length groups of consecutive intervals, which can be decomposed into a duration and a pattern (the ratios between the intervals). This simple conceptual framework unifies three rhythmic visualization methods and yields a fourth: the pattern-duration plot. When paired with a cluster transition network, it intuitively reveals regularities in both synthetic and real-world rhythmic data. Moreover, the framework generalizes two common measures of rhythmic structure: rhythm ratios and the normalized pairwise variability index (nPVI). In particular, nPVI can be reconstructed as the average distance from isochrony, and I propose a more general measure of anisochrony to replace it. Finally, the novel concept of quantality may shed light on wider debates regarding small-integer-ratio rhythms. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_26988 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Rhythmic segment analysis: Conceptualizing, visualizing, and measuring rhythmic data Cornelissen, Bas Sound Audio and Speech Processing 00A65 This paper develops a framework for conceptualizing, visualizing, and measuring regularities in rhythmic data. I propose to think about rhythmic data in terms of interval segments: fixed-length groups of consecutive intervals, which can be decomposed into a duration and a pattern (the ratios between the intervals). This simple conceptual framework unifies three rhythmic visualization methods and yields a fourth: the pattern-duration plot. When paired with a cluster transition network, it intuitively reveals regularities in both synthetic and real-world rhythmic data. Moreover, the framework generalizes two common measures of rhythmic structure: rhythm ratios and the normalized pairwise variability index (nPVI). In particular, nPVI can be reconstructed as the average distance from isochrony, and I propose a more general measure of anisochrony to replace it. Finally, the novel concept of quantality may shed light on wider debates regarding small-integer-ratio rhythms. |
| title | Rhythmic segment analysis: Conceptualizing, visualizing, and measuring rhythmic data |
| topic | Sound Audio and Speech Processing 00A65 |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.26988 |