For sure that's how Bulgarian (and Macedonian) dance music works: bars are thought of as groups of 2 and groups of 3, the 2's being the short beats and the 3's being the long beats.psoutowood wrote:
At least for me it's a lot easier to think 1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3 rather than 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. Same applies to 5/4, 9/8, etc.
So 5/4 (Paidushko) is 2+3, "short LONG".
7/8 (Ruchenitsa) is 2+2+3, "short-short-LONG". But there's also a reversed Ruchenitsa that goes 3+2+2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRpSrCCrPoE
9/8 in Scottish and Irish music is usually 3+3+3. In eductated music terminology this is called "compound triple time".
But 9/8 in Bulgarian dance music (Daichovo) is 2+2+2+3 "short-short-short-LONG". The feel is completely different from the "Celtic" 9/8.
There are longer Bulgarian things like Buchimish 15/8 2+2+2+2+3+2+2 "short short short short LONG short short" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is66ko2CTgY&t=24s
The longest I've played is Sandansko 22/8 2+2+2+3+2+2+2+3+2+2 "short-short-short-LONG-short-short-short-LONG-short-short" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5tSEbTsrQM&t=20s
The point is that non-Balkans usually find these rhythms complicated but if you set the theory aside you can see schoolchildren and dancers having no trouble feeling them.