noun

• A rhythm used simultaneously with another rhythm or rhythms.

  ‘A remarkable passage in unisons and octaves follows which leads to a fugue bristling with cross-rhythms.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘This is a lyrical piece involving complex cross-rhythms.’
  • ‘The finale is a blazing samba, with all sorts of cross-rhythms and various textures.’
  • ‘The harmonies become slightly more astringent, and one hears a new fascination with cross-rhythms and syncopation.’
  • ‘Meanwhile, the background riff is punctuated by a disjointed cross-rhythm that one slowly identifies as gunfire, soon to be joined by the ominous rising and falling of sirens.’