Ostinatos? Polyrythm?

[sebob]

Hi,
I would like to know what mean "Ostinatos"? I think it's related to the polyrythm. Am I right? Is it a kind of polyrythm?

Thanks!

[Wazir]

"In music, an ostinato (derived from Italian: "stubborn", compare English: obstinate) is a motif or phrase which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice."

By wikipedia

[sebob]

Is there a link with the polyrythms? Often I see this term near polyrythm. Why?

[makinao]

These are two different things. Wasir defined an ostinato correctly. On the other hand, a polyrhythm is two or more independent rhythms operating simultaneously in a work.

[larryace]

Right. An ostinato is a repeating pattern (4 on the floor, a shuffled ride cymbal, even 2 and 4 on the backbeat, as long as it is a steady repeating (no variation) pattern.) When you combine 2 or more ostinatos that are within a different time signature (3 over 4 for example) then you have a polyrhythm. 2 ostinatos played within the same time signature is not considered a polyrhythm.

[sebob]

Thanks alot to all of us! I get it.