Time Signatures...???
- Thread starter Chew_Bear
- Start date
Pumpthrust
New member
4/4
Its the most common in music, its also the most intuitive to understand and count.
When I started learning to play guitar, because I had trained myself to hear and count in 4/4 time as a Dj, it was hard for me to cope with other time signatures and rhythmic values.
Its the most common in music, its also the most intuitive to understand and count.
When I started learning to play guitar, because I had trained myself to hear and count in 4/4 time as a Dj, it was hard for me to cope with other time signatures and rhythmic values.
Last edited:
bandcoach
Zukatoku - Mod Scientist
1) any unless you are hard wired to be in one particular time
2) in the last 70 years, yes, 4/4 is the most common time, prior to that it was 3/4, 2/4, 6/8 and 4/4 in equal measure
3) in the genres you quote 4/4 is the most common but we still have variations such as 2/4, 3/4, 6/8 and 12/8
Time signatures are tricky even for seasoned pros some times
2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 2/2, 3/2, 4/2 are all simple times (you can extend these out to 5/4, 7/4 etc.)
the top number tells you how many beats; the bottom number tells you the type of beat. The core feature of simple times is that the beat is divided into multiples of 2
If the top number is
2 we have simple duple time: 2 beats per bar
3 we have simple triple time: 3 beats per bar
4 we have simple quadruple time: 4 beats per bar
3/8, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, 3/4, 6/4, 9/4, 12/4, 3/2, 6/2, 9/2, 12/2 etc are all compound times
The top number divided by 3 tells you how many beats there, the bottom number times 3 tells you the beat type. The core feature of compound times is that beat is divided into 3 first and then divided into multiples of 2
If the top number is
3 we have compound unity time: 1 beat per bar (typical waltz time)
6 we have compound duple time: 2 beats per bar
9 we have compound triple time: 3 beats per bar
12 we have compound quadruple time: 4 beats per bar
If the bottom number is
16 the beat is a dotted 8th/dotted quaver
8 the beat is a dotted quarter/dotted crotchet
4 the beat is a dotted half/dotted minim
2 the beat is a dotted whole/dotted semibreve
Last edited:
SwarmTheory
New member
4/4 is by far the most used, in pretty much all common genres and in my opinion it's abit of a shame, cause interesting and creative stuff can come out of playing in different time signatures, I especially enjoy working in 6/4 and just recently wrote a dubstep track in 7/4
Some of the ''interesting and creative stuff'' I'm talking about, could be like I did in my 7/4 track, where in the drop, the drums play a continuous pattern of KICK & SNARE & KICK & SNARE and so on, like in usual 4/4 tracks, but, since it's an odd signature, every other time it repeats, the drums will be offset, resulting in the beat starting on the SNARE and not the KICK, which gives it an whole new feeling.
But as to your question, yes, 4/4 is around 75% of the music you hear all around.
Some of the ''interesting and creative stuff'' I'm talking about, could be like I did in my 7/4 track, where in the drop, the drums play a continuous pattern of KICK & SNARE & KICK & SNARE and so on, like in usual 4/4 tracks, but, since it's an odd signature, every other time it repeats, the drums will be offset, resulting in the beat starting on the SNARE and not the KICK, which gives it an whole new feeling.
But as to your question, yes, 4/4 is around 75% of the music you hear all around.