time signatures

[Sexypants.]

i feel like a total noob here, but i truely cant tell when a song is in a different time signature...i cant really grasp how a time signature changes anything about the music. can someone explain to me how signatures affect the music, and give me a few songs, preferably somewhat popular, with weird/odd time signatures?

[RushHourSoul]

money by pink floyd is in 7/8.. try counting it, that means there is 7 eighth notes/quavers per bar.

[Tarquin1986]

take 5 by dave brubeck isprobably the most famous odd time tune of all. It's in 5/4.

[WindowLedge]

Birds of fire by the Mahavishnu Orchestra

[Nicko_Shmicko]

pretty sure he doesnt want examples of songs, but an explaination.

ok say a song is in 5/4.

if you count out loud to it 1, 2, 3, 4...it wont work, but if you count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ...then it will

same with any other time signature, it basically effects the way you would count along with it.

examples.

6/8: 1 + 2 + 3
3/4: 1, 2, 3
2/4: 1, 2

it may help you to try witing some tunes in some different time signatures to help you understand. like start with 3/4
count to yourself 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, etc
then once youve got that beat in your head, play a simple riff along with it.

I hope that helped a little bit, sorry if it didnt.

[kevbud187]

6/8: 1 + 2 + 3 +
3/4: 1, 2, 3
2/4: 1, 2

Corrected**

And also that would be counted as 1,2,3,4,5,6 because the number indicates the beat not a quater note. You would be counting notated sixteenths if you wrote in and's. Just and FYI.

I'm a total n00b and know nohting about music. - reads left column -

[Aus_rock_god]

i feel like a total noob here, but i truely cant tell when a song is in a different time signature...i cant really grasp how a time signature changes anything about the music. can someone explain to me how signatures affect the music, and give me a few songs, preferably somewhat popular, with weird/odd time signatures?

Time signature changes alot about the feel of the music.

It's all about where the accent beats are (the beats the snare is hit on, or when you strum down on a guitar).

For eg:

(Bold = accented)

4/4 is the "standard time" for any rock or pop song, and is counted as:

1 2 3 4

or

1 2 3 4

ect

3/4 is standard for any waltz, but is also found in a lot of songs that are piss funny (Dennis Lehre - a$$hole) or pretty friggen serious (Pink Floyd - Shine on you crazy diamond).

1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

8/4 (is NOT 4/4):

1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Tool fu(k around with 5/4 alot

1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 4
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 +

And 7/4:

1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 +

The time signiture has a friggen lot to do with the feel of a song.

4/4 and 8/4 has a driving feel to it, and pumps along happily.

3/4 has an easy feel to it, and sounds relaxing, which makes it good for humor or ballads.

5/4 and 7/4 sound weird, and out of place, and are great for songs about anything strange.

[Aus_rock_god]

Birds of fire by the Mahavishnu Orchestra

fark dude your avatar is giving me a headache

[ph33rESP]

Time signature changes are often pretty hard to pick out if they are done well (i.e. written in a way that flows and isn't intentionally jarring to the listener). If you spend a lot of time listening for them though you'll start to notice that each time signature has a sortof "feel" to it. Depends a lot on the song and what they do with it.

[Huber]

I found it easy to understand time signatures in 6 first. I think the song I learned to pracitce things in 6/x was Toxicity by System of a Down. That beat is a perfect example.

Probably the most famous example of 6/x is Nothing Else Matters by Metallica.

Listen to these songs by counting the hi-hat notes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and you'll get the feel. After that, listen to comething in in 5 or 7 and count it the same way and see how that works out.

[Nicko_Shmicko]

6/8: 1 + 2 + 3 +
3/4: 1, 2, 3
2/4: 1, 2

Corrected**

And also that would be counted as 1,2,3,4,5,6 because the number indicates the beat not a quater note. You would be counting notated sixteenths if you wrote in and's. Just and FYI.

I'm a total n00b and know nohting about music. - reads left column -
my bad, not concerntrating, cheers for clearing that up.