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These two time signatures both indicate simple triple time (also known as waltz time). They are mainly used in the same genres: Formal dances such as waltzes, minuets, mazurka, and scherzi Country, R&B Western ballads sometimes pop All of these genres commonly use simple triple time i.e they have three beat per measure (usually with the first beat ...

The way this band is approaching odd times is by adding the remainder to some kind of easily digestible time signature. In terms of 17/16, they're playing it like 4/4, but adding one sixteenth to the end of the beat. The 9/8 thing is the same as adding an extra 8th note to the end of a 4/4 bar. This way you get the rhythm of 4/4 then they create tension ...

Even if a large orchestra in rehearsal is not getting a verbal count-off, the meter is stil getting set up by the conductor visually--it's just that in many cases the conductor won't bother giving more than a single cue because the ensemble doesn't need it. Certainly if it's fast asymmetric and mixed meter music, you'll see something a bit more active from ...

If a computer plays them, they are the same. However, it may influence how a human player interprets it, even if they don't know anything about what it meant historically, because all those extra beams will make the score look thicker, less spacious, and the notes seem to be more connected. A good player should be able to find a working interpretation ...

There's no absolute rules as to when a composer should use one over the other - it often comes down to the tempo and feel of the music, but it is subjective. I've (for better or worse) seen Presto 3/4 pieces that go much faster than some 3/8 pieces. The big difference in terms of timing is that 3/8 is mainly used as a compound time, whereas 3/4 is most ...

I'm not a songwriter, but I would say: Study the music of the Canadian hard rock band Rush. They have a long-recognized knack for writing songs with many odd meter changes but making it all sound natural and not overly-complex to the listener. This is a rare skill. On the softer side, the same can be said about the very successful pop and film composer Burt ...

One thing I've found really useful for figuring out drum parts is to look at the spectrogram of the song. The free an open source audio editor, Audacity, can do this. Download and install the program, then open your song in it. Once the song is loaded, you'll see the track header on the left. At the top is the track name. Click the track title, and ...

The purpose of counting in is to get all performers' minds on the same tempo. In a base case, where all bars are 4/4, counting those 4 beats (or the last ones, anyway) is the obvious choice. For music made up of several sections, you might have to punctually switch from one time signature to another. To start at the switching point, you can usually do it ...