Ritmos

Ritmos, in music, are the patterns of duration and emphasis that organize time within a piece. They are a fundamental element alongside melody and harmony, shaping groove, motion, and how listeners perceive tempo. In musical notation, rhythms are expressed through note values and rests arranged within a given meter, which is indicated by time signatures and tempo markings. The basic unit of time is the beat, and meters group beats into repetitive patterns, such as 4/4 or 3/4.

Rhythms can be simple or complex. They may feature syncopation, which emphasizes off-beats or weaker beats, and polyrhythms, where multiple rhythmic patterns occur simultaneously. Subdivisions of the beat, including duplets, triplets, and quintuplets, refine rhythmic detail and influence performance feel.

Across cultures, rhythms vary widely. Western classical music often relies on regular meters and clearly defined phrasing, while many traditional and contemporary musics incorporate irregular meters, cross-rhythms, and layered patterns derived from regional and cultural practices. African and Afro-diasporic traditions, Latin American genres, Balkan folk music, and others contribute rich rhythmic vocabularies, including complex interlocking patterns and persistent grooves.

Rhythm also functions practically, guiding movement and dance, signaling phrase endings, and providing structure for improvisation and composition. In theory, rhythm is analyzed in terms of tempo, meter, subdivision, and rhythmic motifs that recur to create cohesion. The term ritmos appears in Spanish- and Portuguese-language contexts to denote these rhythmic patterns within various musical traditions.