RHY.Preface:1 - Problem frame - Work with performed rhythm

This language helps performers, teachers, choreographers, musicians and designers of performing systems work on rhythmic relations. A relation may concern attacks and rests, continuing movement, accent, timing, grouping, a shared reference or the coordination of several contributions. The useful question is what somebody needs to do with that relation: recognize it, represent it, alter it, perform it, teach it or obtain an observation that changes a choice.

The reader needs enough knowledge of the activity to recognize the selected passage and judge the result, or access to someone who can supply that knowledge. Designing an explanation of a phrase, practising it and evaluating a robot’s timing require different preparation. The methods help locate a missing contribution; they do not supply every instrumental, bodily, statistical or engineering technique.

Begin with the available material and the next use. A familiar correction can be tried directly. The longer routes help when several plausible corrections, representations or contributing methods must be distinguished.