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I want to transcribe in Sibelius the song "Killing Me Softly" (shown here), but I can't get the rhythm right.

What I have so far is 6/8 time with the first three notes being Eighth notes, and the last two dotted Eighth notes.

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It's tricky to catch at first, but the last note is shorter than the one preceding it. Once you realize that you'll know it's not 6/8, and pick up more readily that the fourth note is much longer than the first quick notes. – Matthew Read♦ Jun 29 '11 at 21:54
I would say 4/4. It is a bit syncopated. – user786 Jun 29 '11 at 22:47

closed as too localized by Wheat Williams, Jason W, Luke, ecline6, neilfein Apr 24 at 5:02

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2 Answers

up vote 13 down vote accepted

The song "Killing Me Softly (With His Song)", by Roberta Flack and re-made by The Fugees, which your linked piano tutorial would (kind of) fit with, is in 4/4 time like most pop songs. The rhythm would be three eighth notes, one dotted quarter, one non-dotted quarter. In pseudo-notation:

      *
    *       *
  * 
*
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

... for each chord.

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Just beat me to it! :-D – Mich Sampson Jun 29 '11 at 21:51
Me too :P good answer. – Matthew Read♦ Jun 29 '11 at 21:52
up vote 1 down vote

Definitely common time (4/4). The chorus is as above.However, when you come to transcribe the verse, don't fall into the trap that some people do of assuming the first note sung corresponds to the first note in the bar.In this song, there are one and a half beat rests before the first word.

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