Using Turkish Aksak Rhythms To Teach Asymmetrical Meter

Abstract

Ear training courses often treat the topic of asymmetrical meter (5, 7 beats) as uncommon in Western music. This causes musical examples in the subject to be less idiomatic than those which deal with more "normative" meters, in 2, 3, and 4 beats. Turkish music, on the other hand, often organizes beats asymmetrically, a feature known as aksak or "limping." This paper discusses strategies for incorporating both Turkish musical examples and pedagogical practices in aural skills class in order to teach the topic of asymmetrical meter.