Rhythm, Meter, and Timing: The Heartbeat of Musical Development

Many biological processes have rhythmic organization, including the perception and production of music. Rhythms organize information that unfolds over time; they aid in parsing that information into meaningful hierarchical groupings; and the regularities of rhythms enable prediction of, and preparation for, when important information will occur in the future. Expressive deviations from isochronous timing convey emphasis, emotion, and meaning. …