R
RAMI
Guest
Oh good point. I forgot it's the internet ....where nothing goes smoothly.
Yeah, that thread was one post away from a Hitler reference.
Oh good point. I forgot it's the internet ....where nothing goes smoothly.
You know what's amazing? Hitler changed fashion history forever. He was such a horrible person that nobody will ever wear that little moustache because of him. It's a good thing he picked such a stupid looking thing to grow on his face. Imagine if he went with the Elvis sideburns? Elvis would have never been able to wear those. He probably would have had to go with the stupid, square moustache.Maybe instead we should make shirts that say "welcome to the internet, where nothing goes smoothly" with a hitler face on it and quit music and become millionaires the easy way.
........Hitler.........
I wouldn't mind, but last time that almost happened, people were coming in with their "It depends on the rest of the tune", "You need context", and "You can't just set a metronome and count to figure out a time signature". All 3 of those statements are 100% false. You don't need to hear the rest of anything, you don't need "context", and you DO need to simply put on a metronome (or tap your foot) and count. It's really that simple.
Yes, you're right. There are poly-rythms, etc...There are songs where the drums play a straight 4/4 over a guitar pattern that's 3/4 (for example). If we only heard the guitar in the intro, we'd think the song is in 3/4. OK, I get that. But we're talking exceptions. In general, like in that other thread, you don't need to hear anything more than the pattern you're dealing with to figure out the time signature.Well, that's not always entirely true. Sometimes a song will start out with a repetitive rhythm that contains a certain number of notes, and it will hint at a different time signature until the rest of the band comes in.
For example, I could play a rhythm that spans 3 eighth notes over and over, and without anything else, it would probably sound like 6/8 or 3/8 or 12/8 etc. (or 4/4 with a shuffle feel). But you could then add a 4/4 beat under it and reveal what it truly is. Check out the attached awesome MIDI version of just such a thing.
Or, for instance, Radiohead's "Let Down" begins with a guitar figure that repeats a five-note sequence over and over. Until you hear the band kick in, you have no way of knowing that it's not 5/8 or 5/16 but simply 4/4.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z_NvVMUcG8
So, although it's not often missing, you do need context to clearly identify a time signature.
Yes, you're right. There are poly-rythms, etc...There are songs where the drums play a straight 4/4 over a guitar pattern that's 3/4 (for example). If we only heard the guitar in the intro, we'd think the song is in 3/4. OK, I get that. But we're talking exceptions. In general, like in that other thread, you don't need to hear anything more than the pattern you're dealing with to figure out the time signature.
I was referring to people that were saying they need to hear more of the song to figure out what the time signature of THAT pattern is. That is 100% false. The time sig of that pattern is what it is.
In fact, if all you had was one pattern to deal with, you can still figure out what the time sig of THAT PATTERN is.
Man, I think we pretty much agree, so I don't want to prolong this just because of a little detail here and there.It's definitely the exception. I was just saying that you actually always do need context to find out the time signature of a song. It's just rare that you don't have it.
Man, I think we pretty much agree, so I don't want to prolong this just because of a little detail here and there.
But I still insist you don't need context to figure out the time signature of something. Exceptions aside, if someone plays a guitar part for you, like in that other thread (remember that other thread? It's a perfect example of what I'm talking about), and asks you what the time sig is, you can tell them. You don't have to hear the rest of the tune. The time signature of that patter is what it is. It's just math. That pattern will have a certain amount of 16 notes in it. If it has 16 16th notes in it (like the pattern in that other thread), it can't be 5/4, 7/4, or anything else. You can't make 5/4 out of 16 16th notes no matter how you try to twist things. You don't need to write out the pattern either. You just need to count.
The main part of Pink Floyd's "Money" is in 7/4. Yes, parts of the song change to 4/4, and that would be reflected in the sheet music. But if all you had to go on was that bass line intro, you wouldn't need anything else to count it out and determine it's in 7/4. That bass line is in 7/4. Period. You don't need "context" to figure that out. That's all I'm saying.
True. I am talking about hearing a pattern and figuring out the time sig of THAT PATTERN. No argument there.Right ... I don't disagree with this. I said the time signature of a song.
But the drums are playing in 7/4 too, so there's your context.
There's an Alan Parsons song that does something like what you guys are talking about. I can't remember if the synth line suggests a certain time signature which turns out to be something else when the drums come in....or, if the synth line is in 4/4, but you think the "1" is somewhere until the drums come in and then you realize the "1" is actually somewhere else.
Did that make sense? Anyone know the tune I'm talking about?
Man, now I want to find that Parsons tune, but I'm not going to subject myself to listening to a bunch of his shit to find it.Sometimes I'm half listening to the car radio, and my brain gets stuck into hearing a song the wrong way, i.e. for me the snare is hitting on 1 and 3, then after a while my brain sorts it out, and the snare is back on 2 & 4.
I just listened. I didn't have a problem with that one. The first note of the bass is on the "1" and remained there for me. Sometimes we have mental blocks for some things that others don't have a problem with.Same thing happens on the intro to Coma by GnR, .