Listen · Count · Play
3:2 polyrhythm: 3 against 2
Your right hand plays 3 evenly spaced notes. Your left plays 2 over the same length of time. Both start together and meet again at the beginning of the next cycle.
Every player fits the same bar: A splits it into 3, B into 2. They meet on beat 1.
BPM follows your right hand. Both hands share one cycle.
Count it on a 6-slot grid
Divide one cycle into 6 equal slots. A dot is a hit; a blank is a rest. Count every slot evenly, including the rests.
| Slot | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand (3) | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · |
| Left hand (2) | ● | · | · | ● | · | · |
Together → Right → Left → Right → repeat
The arrows show the order of hits. Use the grid for the spacing: the gaps between hits are not all equal.
A short practice routine
- Hear the whole pattern. Press Play at 60 BPM. Listen for the shared first hit, then the two layers between it and the next cycle.
- Count the small slots. Say 1 to 6 evenly and repeat. Tap the right-hand row where its dots land, then do the left-hand row on its own.
- Combine your hands. Follow the grid slowly. At slot 1, tap both hands. Keep each hand's notes evenly spaced across the whole cycle.
- Feel either layer as the beat. First focus on the 2-note layer, then the 3-note layer. Keep the pattern steady while your attention switches.
- Build speed gradually. Increase the player by a few BPM when you can repeat the pattern comfortably. Slow down if either hand begins following the other.
What does 60 BPM mean here?
The player's BPM follows Player A (your right hand), the 3-note layer. At 60 BPM, those notes are one second apart and the whole cycle lasts 3 seconds. Player B fits 2 notes into that same cycle.
This is a polyrhythm: both layers finish the cycle together. In a polymeter, the layers share a pulse but have different loop lengths. You can compare the two in the full generator.