From Accent to Vocal Groove

Abstract

This chapter presents a model of vocal groove in rap delivery, defined as reiterating patterns of durations between accents. It shares with recent theories of groove emphases on repetition, virtuality, and syncopation; in contrast, it departs from these by de-emphasizing human motion, microtiming, group interaction, and large time frames. The inter-accent durations of flow are understood to be 2 or 3 units long (i.e., “eighth notes” or “dotted eight notes”) and sum to one measure (i.e., 16 units), resulting in seven distinct “groove classes.” Because some listeners are permissive of slight alterations in accent placement, the model differentiates between adaptive listeners (who switch grooves whenever necessary) and persistent listeners (who try to maintain grooves). The chapter concludes with a segmentation method modeling these two kinds of listeners.