01
Count the return gap as part of the cycle
For pattern A, the distance from pulse one to four is three intervals, from four to seven is three, and from seven to the next cycle’s one is two. Its gap sequence is therefore three, three, two. For pattern B, one to three is two intervals, three to six is three, and six to the next one is three. Its sequence is two, three, three. In each case the gaps sum to eight. Counting only the gaps within the printed row would omit the closing interval and give an incomplete description of the repeating pattern.
02
Distinguish a shared cycle from a fixed starting point
Both patterns have three accents in eight pulses. Their gap sequences are cyclic rotations of one another: moving pattern A forward by two pulses, wrapping after eight, places its accents at three, six and one, which is pattern B. If the cycle has no privileged starting point, they describe the same spacing up to rotation. If pulse one is fixed by another part of an arrangement, the accent placements relative to that reference differ. The worksheet records that reference explicitly instead of declaring the patterns identical in every musical context.
03
Keep a compact accent planning record
The reusable planning card includes cycle length, numbered accent positions, the counting convention, consecutive gaps and whether a fixed reference pulse matters. Add the sum of the gaps as a simple check. For these examples, record eight pulses and three accents before listing either gap sequence. If a collaborator changes a position, recompute the closing gap as well as the internal ones. A later score can add durations, dynamics and instruments, but those choices are separate from this onset-spacing exercise. The record makes the rhythmic plan inspectable without predicting how a performance will feel.