Arturia KEYSTEP PRO User Manual page 89

5.4.4.3. Euclidean Rhythms
There are times that you notice you're stuck in the same routine when creating rhythms;
every sequence you create is 16 steps long with every fourth step active. It has become your
default setting and you find it difficult to appreciate anything that sounds different. If that is
the case you may want to explore Euclidean rhythms.
An Euclidian rhythm is build using three parameters: length (Step Length), density (Step Fill)
and rotation (Rotation) of the sequence. The simplest example is a sequence of 16 steps with
four beats. When you distribute these beats evenly over the sixteen steps, the result is a
rhythm most often heard in western music; four bars of four steps each with a note on the
first step of the bar. But there 's an alternative: by combining different Fills and Lengths, a
great number of original rhythms can be created. Below a few examples:
Many of these patterns are common in African and South American culture. For an in-depth
explanation of euclidian rhythms and there use in various cultures, please refer to:
(http://cgm.cs.mcgill.ca/~godfried/publications/banff.pdf)
The next phase is to explore patterns, to apply pattern rotation, randomness and swing.
Euclidean patterns are notated in the format E(X, Y) where Y is the length of the pattern and
X the number of active steps in the pattern. For example: E(4, 7) = [× · × · × · ×] is a famous
Bulgarian dance rhythm. E(2, 5) = [× · × · · ] is a rhythm found in Greece, Namibia, Rwanda
and Central Africa.
Setting Pattern rotation
By shifting a pattern one position to the right with the KeyStep Pro's NUDGE function (SHIFT
+ NUDGE>) you change the overall character of the rhythm. If you start the above rhythm on
the second step, as in [× · · × · ], it suddenly becomes a rhythm often found in Central Africa,
Bulgaria, Turkey, Turkestan and Norway. Each additional NUDGE> will generate another
unique rhythm.
Arturia - User Manual Keystep Pro - Making Tracks 83