This page is a dated log of what I’m learning as I explore rhythm, patterns, and connections to math and computer science.
I update this page as I learn new ideas, test them in practice, and improve my understanding through lessons, reading, and observation.
Summer 2024 — Europe Trip (Paris & Switzerland) During a family trip to Paris, I visited the Louvre Museum and learned about Leonardo da Vinci.
What I learned: Da Vinci was both an artist and a mathematician. His work showed how art, structure, symmetry, and mathematics connect.
What I noticed: Patterns and structure appear in many fields — art, architecture, music, and design.
Impact on my thinking: This experience made me curious about how patterns and structure appear in music and whether they connect to math and logic.
This became the starting point for exploring rhythm more deeply.
What I learned: While practicing mridangam, I started noticing that rhythm is not random. It follows structured cycles that repeat and resolve.
What I noticed: Repeating patterns requires consistency in timing and structure. Small differences in hand position change sound and rhythm clarity.
Questions I had: How can rhythm cycles be represented visually? Can patterns be mapped using numbers or diagrams?
What I explored: I began exploring basic ideas about patterns, structure, and logical thinking through beginner-friendly math and problem-solving resources.
Key ideas that interested me:
Connection I began noticing: Tala cycles in music behave like repeating structured systems.
Continued mridangam practice and began observing:
Realization: Rhythm is not only performance — it involves planning, counting, and structured thinking.
Challenge: I wanted to explain how rhythm connects to math and structured thinking but initially found it difficult to express clearly.
What I did: With guidance and research, I decided to document my learning journey in a structured way.
Actions taken:
This is when the project officially began.
Completed and documented:
Built and published a GitHub Pages portfolio to organize and present learning.
What I learned: Rhythm follows a repeating cycle and must stay consistent. Maintaining posture, timing, and sound quality affects structure.
What I noticed: Repeating patterns many times helps identify small variations. Consistency improves clarity and control.
Question: How can a rhythm cycle be represented clearly using diagrams or tables?
What I learned: A tala cycle repeats, and patterns fit inside it. This feels similar to loops in programming.
What I noticed: Some reset points in rhythm feel natural, while others require careful counting.
Questions: How can reset points be represented using math? Is there a simple way to visualize rhythm cycles like modular systems?
I watched a konnakkol demonstration by Sri Somashekar Jois and observed how rhythmic patterns are spoken and structured before being played.
What I learned: Speaking rhythm helps understand structure before performance.
I also explored videos from the RhythMATRIX series featuring Vidwan Shri K. V. Prasad.
What I observed:
How this helps my project: I am thinking about how to develop my own videos to demonstrate structured rhythm learning clearly.
Some beginner-friendly readings and ideas that influenced my thinking:
These helped me begin connecting rhythm with structured thinking and problem solving.
Next steps for this project:
This is an ongoing long-term learning project documenting how structured rhythm connects with analytical thinking.
These are books, articles, and references I explored while learning rhythm, patterns, and connections to math and computer science.
These are books, articles, and references I explored while learning rhythm, patterns, and connections to math and computer science.
I use them to improve my understanding and to shape how I design this project.
Instruments, Rhythm Foundations, and Percussion Learning
| Source | What I learned | How it supports my project |
|---|---|---|
| Snare Drum – Wikipedia | I learned how the snare drum works, how it is used in orchestras and bands, and why it is an important percussion instrument. | This supports my Instruments page and shows how my percussion learning includes both Carnatic and Western rhythm systems. |
| Snare Drum Rudiments – Yamaha | I learned about rudiments, which are basic repeating stroke patterns used to build rhythm control and precision. | This connects with how I practice mridangam patterns using repetition and structure. Small repeating units build larger rhythm patterns. |
| Snare Drum Education – SF Symphony | This page explains the history and role of the snare drum in musical performance. | It helps me understand percussion in a broader musical context and connect different rhythm traditions. |
| Snare Drum Deep Dive | This article explains why the snare drum is central to rhythm and timing across many music styles. | It helped me see how percussion skills transfer across instruments and rhythm systems. |
Rhythm, Math, and Pattern Connections
| Source | What I learned | How it supports my project |
|---|---|---|
| Euclidean Algorithm and Musical Rhythm | I learned that mathematical algorithms can generate rhythmic patterns used in traditional music. | This helped me see how rhythm patterns can be created using logic and structured rules, similar to computer science algorithms. |
| Music and Numbers Research | This research explains how rhythm uses number groupings and subdivisions to create musical structure. | It supports my observation that tala and korvai patterns are based on counted groupings and totals. |
| Patterns in Konnakol | I explored how konnakol patterns can expand, reduce, and transform while maintaining structure. | This connects directly to my Carnatic lessons where patterns expand and resolve within tala cycles. |
| Patterns and Cryptography Research | This research explores how structured patterns are used in coding and cryptography. | It helped me think about how rhythm patterns and structured sequences also appear in computing and encryption logic. |
Music, Mridangam, and Computer Science Connections
| Source | What I learned | How it supports my project |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Recognition of Mridangam Mnemonics | I learned that mridangam syllables can be analyzed and recognized using computer systems. | This showed me that rhythm can be studied using computer science and pattern recognition. |
| Mridangam Introductory Review | This article explains the musical importance and structure of mridangam performance. | It helped me understand the instrument more deeply beyond practice and connect technique with theory. |
| Rhythm and Structure Research | This research discusses rhythm structure and pattern organization in music. | It supports my exploration of how rhythm systems can be studied logically and structurally. |
Community Discussions and Idea Exploration
| Source | What I learned | How it supports my project |
|---|---|---|
| Fibonacci and Konnakol Discussion | I explored how Fibonacci number patterns can appear in rhythm structures. | This helped me think about how math sequences can connect to rhythm grouping and pattern design. |
| Carnatic Rhythm Discussion | I observed discussions about rhythm structure and tala interpretation. | This helped me learn from experienced musicians and observe how rhythm is analyzed and explained. |
How I Use These Sources
I use these references to:
understand rhythm more deeply
connect music with math and computer science
improve how I document patterns and lessons
design this project with accuracy and structure
This research supports my long-term goal of exploring how rhythm, logic, and structured thinking connect across music, mathematics, and computing.
Books and Reading List for Rhythm, Math & Music Exploration
| Topic Area | Book Title | Author | Why it Matters for My Learning | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnatic rhythm & tala theory | The Neural Rhythms of Carnatic Music | Dr. Sriram A. L. | Explores rhythm, cognition, and structure in Carnatic music and how rhythmic thinking connects to the brain. | https://store.pothi.com/book/dr-sriram-l-neural-rhythms-carnatic-music-exploring-cognitive-science-raga-and-tala/ |
| Indian rhythm science | Science of Rhythm (Taal Shastra) | Various authors | Explains the scientific and structural basis of Indian rhythmic systems and tala organization. | https://sureshotbooks.com/products/science-of-rhythm-indian-system-of-musical-rhythm-taal-shastra-analysis-of-its-science-and-sensibilities-9781072100607 |
| Math + music connection | The Geometry of Musical Rhythm | Godfried Toussaint | Written by a computer scientist, this book connects rhythm patterns with geometry, algorithms, and mathematical structure. | https://www.amazon.com/Geometry-Musical-Rhythm-Makes-Second/dp/0815370970 |
| Math & music (general) | Music and Mathematics: From Pythagoras to Fractals | Edited by John Fauvel | Shows how mathematics and music have always been connected through ratios, symmetry, and patterns. | https://books.google.com/books/about/Music_and_Mathematics.html |
| Music + mind + science | Music, Math, and Mind | David Sulzer | Explains connections between music, neuroscience, math, and perception of patterns. | https://news.columbia.edu/news/david-sulzer-new-book-music-math-and-mind |
| Carnatic rhythm techniques | Applying Karnatic Rhythmical Techniques to Western Music | Rafael Reina | Shows how Carnatic rhythm structures can be analyzed and applied logically and mathematically. | https://www.advancedrhythm.org/book-applying-karnatic-rhythmical-techniques.html |
| Math behind music | The Math Behind the Music | Leon Harkleroad | Introduces mathematical concepts behind rhythm, harmony, and musical structure. | https://www.amazon.com/Math-Behind-Music-Leon-Harkleroad/dp/0521001647 |
These sources support my ongoing effort to understand rhythm not only as music, but as a structured system connected to mathematics, logic, and computing.