MusicReasonRhythm, Tempo, Meter, and Practice Timing
Hear two pulse counts over one cycle
Choose two pulse counts, like 3 against 2. This tool plays both evenly spaced layers over one shared cycle and shows exactly how many shared subdivisions connect them.
Play
Want to learn more? Groove, Swing, Tuplets, and Polyrhythm
Understand
The two layers only align at the very start and end of each cycle; every other event falls independently. This tool does not claim cultural or stylistic context for any given ratio (3:2, called a hemiola in Western theory, has very different roles than the same ratio elsewhere): it only computes and plays the evenly spaced math.
Worked example
3 against 2 over one cycle has 6 shared subdivisions (the least common multiple of 3 and 2), meaning every 6th of the cycle is a position where at least one layer's event could theoretically align with a fine enough grid, even though the two layers' own 3 and 2 events land at different points within it.
Method and limitations
Each layer's events land at cycleDuration × i / count for i from 0 up to count minus 1. The shared-subdivision count shown is the least common multiple of the two chosen counts. Playback starts only after your gesture and stops cleanly; the two layers use distinct, non-color-only visual and audio cues so the difference is perceivable without relying on pitch alone.
A practical way to learn a new ratio
Most people find a new polyrhythm easier to internalize by first listening to each layer completely alone, then bringing the second layer in only once the first feels stable. The "First only" and "Second only" playback options exist for exactly that reason: they let you build each pulse independently before asking your ear to track both against the same shared cycle at once.