I'm writing some software that composes drum-lines.
I'm looking for a word that describes the lowest unique combination of down- and up-beats.
Eg: Let's say the following are quarter notes:
(Disco 4/4 time) KICK KICK KICK KICK KICK KICK KICK KICK ...
(Rock 4/4 time) kick SNARE kick SNARE kick SNARE kick SNARE ...
(Waltz 3/4 time) KICK snare snare KICK snare snare KICK snare snare ...
So, I want to say, the ???? of the Disco line is "1 beat", the ???? of the Rock line is "2 beats", and the ???? of the Waltz is "3 beats"
In drum theory, there is a word "tatum" which reminds me of what I am looking for, although it is not the same concept. The "tatum" describes the time division that most highly coincides with note onsets. Ie: if a drum line consists of mainly 8th notes or longer, the listener perceives that the tatum is "1/8"
The word I am looking for is like the tatum, but it describes the number of notes that is the lowest distance before a downbeat repeats.
What word would best suit this concept? I currently use the word "Metric Bounce" but I'd rather stick to some kind of standard terminology.