Welcome to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s, ‘Illustrated Theory of Music’. This series of short, informal videos animate the stories behind music theory and provoke new questions about what we think we know. What does a ‘quaver’ really mean? Why do we use bars? Why does it have to be so slow? The series is led by the OAE’s dedicated musicians but audiences are invited to ask questions, challenge conventional wisdom and help to build a new understanding of music. Please share your thoughts in the comment box below!

In this episode, OAE’s Debbie Diamond talks us through what a hemiola is (and no, it’s not a type of weird disease). Assisted by our talented juggler Sheppy Coodin, Debbie demonstrates how hemiolas occur and what auditory illusions they have on our ears when we hear them in a piece of music.

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