I've lately been fascinated by this rhythm, which is common in Bulgarian and other Eastern European music:

3+3+2 / 8, i.e.

1 2 3 . 1 2 3 . 1 2 | 1 2 3 . 1 2 3 . 1 2 | ......

or,

Dotted Quarter - Dotted Quarter - Quarter | ......


Here are a couple of short pieces I wrote using this rhythm, both performed by the esteemed pianist, Mr. Finale 2007 for Mac OS X.

Bulgar

Happy

"Bulgar" is a Yiddish word for this Bulgarian dance rhythm. Another name is "freylakhs", which also means "joy."

Unfortunately, the mdidle section of my Bulgar piece was recorded too loudly in the right hand, and too softly in the left hand, so it's hard to hear the left hand melody... but it's good enough for a computer midi!

Comments welcome... and... anybody else enjoy writing in this rhythm?

"Jelly Roll" Morton called that rhythm the "Spanish Tinge". You can hear it in the left hand of "The Crave".

I liked your piece "Bulgar".

Thanks -- I'm glad you liked it. I've only heard one recording of Jelly... and he was playing Joplin!

Check out Marcus Roberts' album - Alone With Three Giants.

There's a slight difference, though:

In Jazz, the middle sound of the 3+3+2 rhythm is perceived as an off-beat. In a Bulgarian style, it's not so much an off-beat as it is three beats of unequal length.

In other words, if you were conducting the 3+3+2 rhythm (basically a Clave), you'd still use a four beat pattern. If you were conducting a Bulgarian rhythm, you'd use a three beat pattern and shorten the third beat.