Ethnomusicological Perspectives on Aksak Rhythm
Ethnomusicological Perspectives on Aksak Rhythm

Summary/Abstract: Aksak, ethnomusicology, asymmetry, traditional music, rhythm, metric structures, comparative analysis;Aksak rhythm constitutes one of the central concerns of ethnomusicological research devoted to asymmetric metric systems, representing a defining feature of Balkan and Eastern European traditional musics. The evolution of scholarship on this phenomenon illustrates a gradual transition from the structural model formulated by Constantin Brăiloiu and the typological developments proposed by Simha Arom toward the perceptual and cognitive reevaluations advanced by Jérôme Cler. At the same time, contemporary empirical research has demonstrated the interpretative complexity of aksak rhythm through the identification of micro-temporal variation and synchronization mechanisms characteristic of musical performance practice. In this context, understanding the phenomenon requires an interdisciplinary approach integrating structural, perceptual, and interpretative dimensions.

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