Eastern European folk music is unique in Europe for its "asymmetrical" or "additive" rhythms, in which the music isn't split into even measures but instead into measures that are not all the same length as each other.

Rather than a song's rhythm being simple and straightforward--"4+4+4+4"--  the rhythm of a song counted asymmetrically may be "2+2+3+2+3+3" or "3+2+2+3+2+3" or, truly, any pattern you dare build from the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Here are some additive rhythms we count out in class.

Purtata: 7/8 -- 3 + 2 + 2

Rachenista: 7/8 -- 2 + 2+ 3

Banat: 11/8 -- 4 + 3 + 3 + 1

Sandansko Horo: This dance uses mixed rhythm of 9/8+13/8 (9/16+13/16). Try counting 2+2+2+3, 2+2+2+3+2+2.

Wow!