Is there a formal name for this particular rhythm?

[BuddhaFingas]

I've got one of those brainlock mental quests that can drive a person bonkers until resolved, and I could use some help from the more experienced folks around here.

There is a fairly common pattern of triplets where the emphasis of the beat "rolls" or "rotates" from first, to second, to third note...
BA da dum, ba DA dum, ba da DUM, BA da DUM

I hear it often, so it seems like it must have an actual name... but I'm at a loss trying to search it out. How do you find something in the interwebs if you don't know what it's called?

Does anyone know a proper name for this pattern?

It's stuck in my head now, can't stop playing it. I'm hoping that knowing it's proper name & where it comes from will let me exorcize it from my forebrain.

 

[Papageno]

I've got one of those brainlock mental quests that can drive a person bonkers until resolved, and I could use some help from the more experienced folks around here.

There is a fairly common pattern of triplets where the emphasis of the beat "rolls" or "rotates" from first, to second, to third note...
BA da dum, ba DA dum, ba da DUM, BA da DUM

I hear it often, so it seems like it must have an actual name... but I'm at a loss trying to search it out. How do you find something in the interwebs if you don't know what it's called?

Does anyone know a proper name for this pattern?

It's stuck in my head now, can't stop playing it. I'm hoping that knowing it's proper name & where it comes from will let me exorcize it from my forebrain.

Do you really mean triplets? I hear this as a 3-note pattern played as 8th notes, implying that the accents rotate as you describe:
||: BA da dum, ba DA dum, ba da | DUM, BA da DUM_____________:||
||: 1__&__2___&__3__&___4__& |__1___&_2___&__3__&__4__&_:||
The whole thing builds a 2-bar phrase.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

Do you really mean triplets? I hear this as a 3-note pattern played as 8th notes, implying that the accents rotate as you describe:
||: BA da dum, ba DA dum, ba da | DUM, BA da DUM_____________:||
||: 1__&__2___&__3__&___4__& |__1___&_2___&__3__&__4__&_:||
The whole thing builds a 2-bar phrase.

That may describe it better, yes.
Struggling with the terminology, which is why I'm looking for the proper words to use .

 

[BlueRock]

Tap it on a table top, record it with your phone and post it here.

 

[Les Fret]

I guess you mean a four note phrase played in triplets? There is no specific name for that. But if you give an example it’s more clear what you mean exactly.

 

[ineedaclutch]

Simply hazarding a guess which does not match the written rhythm, but either a Bo Diddley pattern or a 3:2 clave possibly?

 

[Papageno]

Just a remark: music notation was invented to facilitate communication among musicians. This is a case where simply posting a properly notated excerpt, would have avoided 5 posts speculating about what the question actually is...

 

[BuddhaFingas]

Just a remark: music notation was invented to facilitate communication among musicians. This is a case where simply posting a properly notated excerpt, would have avoided 5 posts speculating about what the question actually is...

With all due respect, I'm still learning to read musical notation with ease, not yet literate in writing it, and if I was that fluent in it, I probably would not have needed to ask the question.

I will try to dredge up a more concrete example.

The last two bars of the lead of "Brown Sugar" by the Stones come to mind, but not a perfect example. Very close though.

It's all over Leo Sayer's "Long Tall Glasses," too. Almost the main motif.

 

[Les Fret]

A specified time of the video would be helpful. Video link is not working.

 

[Febs]

It's all over Leo Sayer's "Long Tall Glasses," too. Almost the main motif.

I'm not hearing any triplets here. I'm hearing the main melody as eighth notes:

At 1:10, I hear this (counted 'ONE and two AND three and FOUR and | one AND two and THREE and FOUR and | ONE)':

Here is that same figure shown against the 8th notes in the measure to show how it essentially puts 3 eighth notes against 4:

It's possible that the term you're looking for to refer to this is "hemiola."

 

[BuddhaFingas]

I've watched a couple video explanations of 'hemiola,' a term I've never encountered before.

It does seem to match the rhythmic shift I so poorly tried to describe, but was hearing.

Thanks for the detailed and helpful answer!