Rhythms That Break Your Brain But They're Just 4/4

I'm obsessed with cool rhythmic illusions in music. They create the coolest grooves in ways that your brain has to take a minute to grasp! But once you do, they're some of the coolest pieces of music out there. A few recent examples came to mind and I wanted to share the madness with you!

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[CharlesCornellStudios]

I LOVE music that does this, what are your favorite examples of bizarre and clever rhythmic illusions in music???

[pogoman]

Everything is 4/4 if you're brave enough

[JosephTavano]

Self trained drummer here. 32 years experience. The only way I can explain this using words is that all time signatures can be infinitely divided in infinite combinations. As long as the measure resolves correctly according to the signature, you can do anything.

[AzerFrost]

Hi, I worked with II-L to compose/commission that first song for a rhythm game event. If anyone is into it, would strongly recommend looking at just about any of his other music which all features this same disorienting vibe, always in 4/4. They're pretty much all available on his youtube channel! Even more interestingly, II-L will often theme entire albums around the same baseline track, but modify it in increasingly crazy polyrhythmic ways. The stuff he makes is truly unique, really strongly recommend taking a look.

[June_Hee]

Animals as Leader's "Monomyth" has a 5+7+7+5+5+7 groove throughout which adds up to 36, and since 36 can be divided by both 3 and 4 you can hear many "regular" subdivisions played by the drums(specifically the cymbals).

[itsfonk]

brain dissolves until the beat resolves

[riggs]

Fun fact: System - Brotherly was actually written by Jacob Collier’s bass player, Robin Mullarky. The album is insanely funky!

[bobtivnan]

This math teacher LOVES what you're doing here. It's a great example of how our minds can be challenged when rhythms deviate from culturally entrained patterns. Thank you!

[johnmurray]

You've covered Djent before, but Meshuggah built their whole career around this sort of thing, and inspired others to do the same. It's wonderful.

[vladilenasmusiccollection]

Leprous are masters of using 4/4 in a very syncopated way, making it sound like an odd-time signature

[germansnowman]

What really helped me was to realize that musical notation is just that – a representation of the “true” thing. Often, there are multiple equivalent ways to notate the same piece of music. Sometimes there are conventions which restrict these, which also helps communication.

[tiddly]

i got so excited when i saw The Grid in the thumbnail, and immediately lost my mind when i got jumpscared by II-L

[JonnyGlessnerStormChasing]

Progressive metal dude here. One of my favorite things to do when writing a thick djenty riff is to play around with snare placement. Everything else continues playing the exact same rhythm but the only thing that changes is the snare. Great for building tension and when you bring in the backbeat, you just can’t help but headbang and open the mosh pit in your living room. Periphery does this perfectly and it’s my biggest inspiration.

[dzimy]

Holy shit, i never thought i would see Charles react to II-L

[gladiatormarcellus]

Meshuggah has so many songs that are in 4/4 but don’t feel like they are. Combustion is one of the weirdest 4/4 intros I have ever heard and it will always boggle me on how they count it properly

[brentsnotreal]

“We can come up with a way to think of this thing, that is so easy to hear “ - plays the most incomprehensible piece of music I’ve ever heard

[MechanicalRabbits]

I've been saying for a while that the future of pop music is in Japan. Unlike western pop musicians, they're not afraid of experimenting and being creative, and they pull it off while still managing to write catchy tunes.

[Caoutchoucing]

My beloved THE EARTH by II-L, what an incredible artist! You should absolutely check out the work of Toromaru! Formless Canvas, Erinyes, Deorbit, all incredible pieces of music!

[ArtByZac]

As soon as I saw the title my brain immediately went to Pyramid Song by Radiohead. At first listen, you think it’s alternating bars of 3/4 and 4/4, but it’s just 4/4 swung in a funny way and you can’t tell until the percussion comes in.

[Wiily]

There is one song that completely broke my brain:
Crime of the Century by Supertramp.
The solo piano build up to the end is so misleading, and I love it for that. It makes you think the strong beats are so obviously placed, and then the rest of the band kicks in and suddenly you realize you had it wrong the whole time. I don’t know how else to describe it, but it absolutely tickles my brain when I heat that part. I’ve listened to it hundreds of times trying to force my brain to naturally count the time right, and I still have trouble!