Attending to Free Rhythm

This article addresses the concept of entrainment in connection with a musical performance often described as lacking meter, or, phrased more positively, possessing “free rhythm” or “flowing rhythm.”1 Entrainment—a concept ever more visible in music scholarship—refers to a synchronization of two or more rhythmic systems that persist through perturbation.2 As Justin London notes, entrainment is not a specifically musical phenomenon, and can also refer to the coordinated actions of athletes or circadian rhythms.3 In musical terms, these rhythmic systems may be synchronized among different groups of performers, different performers within a group, or different limbs within a single performer.4