In this book you will learn about rhythmic serialism and its extension to the pitched serialism techniques created by Arnold Schoenberg and his contemporaries. In addition to rhythmic serialism, you will learn about both traditional meters employed in music and you will learn about nontraditional time signatures, which will include fractional time signatures. Each concept is relatively new as both come from the "modern era" of western music history. These things being said, both concepts are critical in your understanding of rhythm and what makes a meter function.