I need to change a simple piece from 4/8 to 4/4. Do I only need to double the values for each note? (Ex. quarter to half note & eighth to quarter?)
2 Answers
If you wanted all your notes to have the same value in the new meter, you would double them to the denominator of the time signature being cut in half. For example if you had a measure like this:
It would become this:
Notice how all the eigth notes became quarter notes and all the sixteenth notes become eigth notes. Also if you want the tempo of your piece to stay the same, you also need to double it.
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The tempo does not have to double. There is no inherent speed difference in time signatures with quaver beats vs crotchet beats. It is a commonly held misconception. Nov 2, 2015 at 6:33
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1@NeilMeyer - the tempo MARK needs to double, as Dom shows, and jjmusicnotes says. Either same number, but crotchet instead of quaver, or the number itself needs to change.– TimNov 2, 2015 at 7:21
Short answer: yes. Simple double all rhythmic values and change your unit tempo to match your current unit division. For example, if before, the music was at 8th note = 120bpm, after the unit division change, a quarter note = 120bpm.