1. A rhythmic pattern in music in which three notes of equal length are played in the time normally occupied by two notes of the same value, creating a cross-rhythm or syncopated effect.
Usage: music; also called hemiola

Examples

• The composer used hemiolia to create tension between the triple and duple meters.
• In jazz, hemiolia is a common technique for adding rhythmic complexity.
• The percussion section played a hemiolia that shifted the listener's sense of the beat.
• Classical composers like Bach employed hemiolia in their fugues.
• The hemiolia created an interesting syncopated feel in the final measures.