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A song in 21/4 would simply consist of 21 beats of one crotchet length each, followed by another 21 beats, and so on. I have to admit that I know of no songs in this time signature, and I can't find any either!
The first bar of Klavierstück IX by Karlheinz Stockhausen is in 142/8 time. Try to count that one out!
One thing only do I know, and that is that I know nothing - Socrates.
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Ah yes, Echoes has four different time signatures. The song uses 4/4, 6/8, 6/4 and 12/8. The "seagull/whale" section in the middle is, of course, in free time.
Exactly why I posted that particular song
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Starkey7 wrote:He's right you know; the lower number in the time signature needs to be a power of two - and preferably not 1. Here is a nice jazz number in 11/4:
Energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. In other words, energy always exhibits "relativistic mass" in whatever form the energy takes. The equation is at the heart of Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity. Look up the equation on Wikipedia for a full explanation. It will probably make your head explode. I always have trouble getting my head round the whole thing. One book you could read on the subject (which I HAVE read), is this:
tubeguru wrote:Listen to "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles and tell me which time signature you think the verses are in. And no cheating!
It sounds like a mixture of 7/x and 8/x to me. I don't know what x is, nor do I know how to work it out. The lower number of time signatures has always been very confusing to me. I get that 4 means a quarter-note (can't remember the proper name for it) and 8 means an eight-note, but surely, x/4 is the same as x/8 at a different tempo?
tubeguru wrote:Listen to "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles and tell me which time signature you think the verses are in. And no cheating!
It sounds like a mixture of 7/x and 8/x to me. I don't know what x is, nor do I know how to work it out. The lower number of time signatures has always been very confusing to me. I get that 4 means a quarter-note (can't remember the proper name for it) and 8 means an eight-note, but surely, x/4 is the same as x/8 at a different tempo?
A quarter note would be a crotchet, and an eighth note would be a quaver. If the bottom number was a 4, each beat in the bar would be a crotchet, and an 8 would indicate each beat to be a quaver.
I believe the general rule is that the higher the number the "faster" the music feels. But then it's all relative, because if I compose a piece of music in 4/4 and state at the start of it that it is to be played "presto", then it will sound "fast". I could then compose something in 12/16 and say that I want it played "adagio" (slowly), and it could end up being played at the same speed.
It's very subtle, so have a look at this to get an idea of which types of music use different time signatures:
What I really can't work out is (how to tell from listening) whether something is in 3/4 or 6/8. The grouping of 3 is obvious, but is it one group of 3 per bar or 2 groups of 3? I.e., is the beat i'm detecting a quaver or crotchet beat? Sometimes, at slow tempos etc, its obvious, but at others I just cant guess.
I am fully aware of the difference in subdivision of 3/4 and 6/8.
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tractakid wrote:What I really can't work out is (how to tell from listening) whether something is in 3/4 or 6/8. The grouping of 3 is obvious, but is it one group of 3 per bar or 2 groups of 3? I.e., is the beat i'm detecting a quaver or crotchet beat? Sometimes, at slow tempos etc, its obvious, but at others I just cant guess.
This is to do with how the music is organised. I found a website which explains it thus:
Now you will wonder why can’t you just reduce 6/8 to 3/4? After all, they add up to the same amount. One reason you might pick one time signature versus the other is how the music is organized.6/8 is grouped into 2 groups of 3 eighth notes. 3/4 time would be grouped into 3 groups of 2 eighth notes. Depending on the structure of the bassline or song, it may make sense to group it one way instead of the other. So 6/8 feels more like two, while 3/4 feels more like three.
So 3/4 sounds like a traditional waltz, such as something Johann Strauss would have written back in the day.
Songs in 6/8 include "Nothing Else Matters" by Radiohead, "Subterranean Homesick Alien" by Radiohead and "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers. Listen to them and that will give you some idea of how 6/8 sounds compared to a "standard-sounding" 3/4.
One thing only do I know, and that is that I know nothing - Socrates.
Champion of bugger all, 2004 to 2026
Member of sweet FA
tractakid wrote:What I really can't work out is (how to tell from listening) whether something is in 3/4 or 6/8. The grouping of 3 is obvious, but is it one group of 3 per bar or 2 groups of 3? I.e., is the beat i'm detecting a quaver or crotchet beat? Sometimes, at slow tempos etc, its obvious, but at others I just cant guess.
This is to do with how the music is organised. I found a website which explains it thus:
Now you will wonder why can’t you just reduce 6/8 to 3/4? After all, they add up to the same amount. One reason you might pick one time signature versus the other is how the music is organized.6/8 is grouped into 2 groups of 3 eighth notes. 3/4 time would be grouped into 3 groups of 2 eighth notes. Depending on the structure of the bassline or song, it may make sense to group it one way instead of the other. So 6/8 feels more like two, while 3/4 feels more like three.
So 3/4 sounds like a traditional waltz, such as something Johann Strauss would have written back in the day.
Songs in 6/8 include "Nothing Else Matters" by Radiohead, "Subterranean Homesick Alien" by Radiohead and "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers. Listen to them and that will give you some idea of how 6/8 sounds compared to a "standard-sounding" 3/4.
This is precisely the answer I was not looking for
As I stated in my post, I fully understand the subdivision of each time signature. What I was trying to say is that, basically, I struggle to differentiate between a quick 3/4 and a slow 6/8- as half of a 6/8 bar sounds like a quick 3/4.
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