ataktische

Ataktische is a term used in German music theory to describe passages or styles that deliberately avoid a regular metrical structure. Derived from takt (measure, bar) with the prefix a-, it literally means “without meter” and is applied to rhythm that does not consistently align with a fixed beat pattern. In ataktische passages the timing may feel flexible, unpredictable, or non-periodic, and phrases can be grouped without consistent bar lines or regular accent schemes.

In practice, ataktische music may exhibit irregular grouping of notes, irregular metrical accents, cross-rhythms, or tempos that do not establish a steady meter. It is most often discussed in the context of 20th-century and contemporary music where composers explore rhythm and meter beyond traditional takt schemes. The term is mainly descriptive and analytical, rather than representing a distinct compositional technique, and its interpretation can vary among theorists.

The concept is used primarily in German-language music literature. In English, scholars frequently describe similar phenomena using terms such as free rhythm, non-metrical passage, or metric ambiguity, rather than adopting the direct loanword “ataktisch.” See also free rhythm, non-metrical music, rubato, metric ambiguity.