Questions tagged [time-signatures]
Numeric ratio indicating the subdivision of measures according to groups of beats.
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I need help understanding a complex (or maybe compound) time signature
I composed this song a few years ago originally using a tracker (an old-school, very freeform compositional workflow), and have been recently trying to transcribe it into a more modern DAW (Ableton ...
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Are odd time signatures perceived as execution errors by layman people?
I recall being told once that odd time signatures like 5/8, 7/8, etc. are perceived by layman people as if the interpreter had an execution error (like he/she made a tempo mistake).
Is it common ...
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Strumming, picking patterns for unusual time signatures
If the time signature is 8/8 or 4/4 and let's say we have 8 eighth notes in a bar the picking should just be down up down up down up, etc. But what happens if we have 7/8? Particularly in the next bar....
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C in Treble or Bass Clef
I see a 'C' like sign in the beginning of the staff. What does it mean?
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How the time signature affects how to play a melody
I was playing on my clarinet the song Memory from the musical, Cats. It is written in 12/8 time. Although I know what that means -- the equivilent of 12 eight notes in a bar, I don't understand how ...
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What happens technically when you accentuate on a time-signature?
When you have a 4/4 time signature you typically accentuate beats "1" and (minorly) "3" for every measure. On a piano, what does that mean technically? Is beat "1" just louder or is it also a (little) ...
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General questions about piano sheet music notation
This is the song I wanted to do, not on a piano but in FL Studio. But I don't play the piano so I need some help in dissecting this piece.
Those ##C, what do those mean (and what are they called?)
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user7070
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What is the time signature and tempo (let's say for the intro) of Yes' Close to The Edge song? [closed]
Most of the sources I've seen talk about 6/8 or even 3/4, but I totally feel like I'm listening to a 4/4 with triplets everywhere, and even more, 4/4 would mean about 120bpms if 1/4=1bpm, which has ...
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How do I make this beat fit in the measures evenly, time signature-wise?
In a program for tabbing (but I use with MIDI creation) called Tuxguitar, I've written out a drum beat on hihats, and I'm pretty sure the bpm is correct, and everything SOUNDS correct, but I can't get ...
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8 beats per measure
I found this typesetting of a Late Renaissance cornetto piece, and I was instantly perplexed when I tried to hear it in my head when I noticed that there were 8 beats per measure. Is this something ...
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What's the correct notation for a full bar note or rest in non-common time? [duplicate]
Obviously for 3 and 4/4 you use the respective semebreve or dotted minim, but what about 7/8, 9/8 and 15/16?
I heard the convention is to just use a semibreve, but that doesn't make sense to me ...
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Writing a song based on the harmonic minor
I'm writing my friend a horn solo (with piano accompaniment) and I asked her what her favorite scale was and she said harmonic minor, "because it sounds Egyptian". If I was trying to write a ...
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Tips for using complex time signatures in a "catchy" pop song?
I'm looking to write some music in the vein of a band I discovered recently called Icarus The Owl, who use some pretty wacky time signatures (anything from 21/16 into weirder territories) but always ...
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How can I change the time signature to make the score easier to read?
I'm trying to transcribe a pop song.
I'm fairly sure that the time signature is 2/4 since it has a ONE two ONE two, feel like a march.
My problem is that it's a fast song and contains so many 32th ...
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Will straight crochets in 5/4 and straight quavers in 5/8 at same BPM sound the same?
If you write 5 1/4 notes in 5/4 at a tempo of q (quarter note)=120 and write 5 8th notes in 5/8 at e(eighth note)=120, one after another would they sound the same?
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What beats does the horn typically play on in a 2/4 march?
Wikipedia states:
French Horns tend to always carry the rhythmic backup of a march. For example, in cut-time marches, they are typically assigned upbeats (the + of 1 and 2) to provide the "pah" for ...
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Is there any practical difference between 3/4 and 3/8 time?
Is there any practical difference between 4/4 and 8/8? regards a common and unusual time signature;
both 3/4 and 3/8 time are pretty common.
What difference in performance is implied in the the ...
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Identifying meter on double bass drum
I have a very difficult time picking out the best way to syncopate meter when composing for the double bass drum (I'm not a drummer, but I usually need to sequence some scratch parts to write the ...
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Are there names for referring to the top or bottom numbers in a time signature?
In a time signature of 3/4 (three by four), what is the name given to the 3 and the 4? I know it in my own language, but can't find the answer for the English equivalent.
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When practicing a song with frequently changing time signatures, what is the best way to count in?
My percussion ensemble is working on a song with different time signatures, i.e. it is constantly changing between 4/4, 7/8, 5/16 and so on. During the rehearsals, we sometimes want to start somewhere ...
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Is the time signature switching every measure?
I think that the reason my compositions in DAW's have seemed off is because they've actually been changing time signatures throughout, and I haven't accounted for it.
I tested this by making this tab ...
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I have a song in my head, I know how it sounds, but I can't get it to translate well to DAW
I've had a full-fleshed out song in my head for days, but I can't figure out how to get it started. I THINK I have the tempo correct, but when I play it out, it doesn't line up with the measures, and ...
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How can I learn timing from a guitar tab?
When playing guitar/bass from tabs, I find that I can learn the fingering easily, but the timing is often wrong when I play with a backing track. I'm fairly noobish to music notation/tablature, but I ...
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How to determine time signature of drum tab?
Recently I started playing drums on the side just to relax, so nothing serious. I picked up this song because the drums seemed reasonably complex so that they would present a fair challenge for the ...
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Is there a difference between 2/4 and 4/4
I cannot figure out the actual difference between these two beats. Isn't it sufficient to have only 2/4 (or 4/4 )?
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Tips on counting and playing odd time signatures
I'm pretty interested in learning, composing and playing along to songs using odd time signatures (3/4, 5/4, 7/8, ...) and I'd like some advice on how to wrap my head around all this stuff.
For ...
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Differentiating between fast 6/8 and 4/4
Take for (extreme) example, this song:
After half-time intro, the triplets on the double bass lend it a swaying six eight feel, but the meter can easily also be ...
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What is the importance of tempo and time-signatures?
What is the importance of tempo and time-signatures? Aren't tempo and time-signatures all interchangeable? 4/8 at 60 BPM can be also described as 4/4 at 120 BPM. Can't a 60 BPM tempo be transcribed to ...
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What is the connection between time-signature, beat, and tempo?
What is the connection between time-signature, beat, and tempo? Mainly time-signature and tempo. Tempo is beats-per-minute I know, but does the time-signature affect it?
For example, in a 120bpm tempo,...
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Is there any real-world difference between time signatures such as 4/4 and 8/8?
These days I pretty much play everything by ear, but was originally trained in strathspey and reel violin so realise I should know the answer to this, but I can't remember what, if any, the practical ...
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When is it proper (if ever) to extend time signatures (8/4 vs 4/4)?
When listening to most contemporary music, in my experience, time signatures tend to be in "common time", or 4/4. But sometimes it feels like the phrase or measure extends beyond the four quarter ...
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What do the 3/4 and 4/4 numbers mean?
In music notation, I've always been looking for a simple explanation of those numbers that appear on the far left of musical piece, such as 3 over 4 or 4 over 4.
I have a hunch they affect the ...
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An effective method for counting and identifying time signatures. [duplicate]
When I listen to some odd time signature songs I have some serious trouble dissecting the time signatures at times. Songs with 6/8 or 3/4 are easy enough to identify, but some progressive rock/metal ...
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How do you know what beat to emphasize based on the time signature?
In learning the guitar I have run across various time signatures. In each time signature it seems as if you are supposed to emphasize different beats. Is this something that you just have to intuit, ...
grieve
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What is the "theory" behind "odd time signatures"?
There are a number of bands, Genesis, The Police, Crack the Sky, Gentle Giant, that have all incorporated unusual time signatures as their core sound - some entire "pop"songs, "Ordinary World - Duran ...
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What time signatures are used in flamenco and related styles?
Recently I've been trying to get some flamenco spirit into my playing. I've already experimented with some 'gypsy' scales and it feels good, but I've also realized that part of the secret is in using ...
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