3/4 time...I love it I hate it

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dreib

Active member
Working on a project that has a couple of songs in 3/4. I love 3/4 and can lock in and find the groove Im looking for, BUT I am struggling to fit a couple of fills in here and there that don't suck and feel natural.


Anyone have some tips or songs I could listen to for some inspiration besides pearl jams elderly woman.


The genre I am playing is kinda 1/3 folk-1/3 rock -1/3 country rock--?

Thanks!
 
That's funny, I can't think of one song that I like or listen to that's in 3/4. Maybe listen to some salsa or carnival music for ideas. :D
 
From Wikipedia: -

Examples of triple metre in contemporary pop music[edit]

In contemporary pop traditions (Soul, Rap, R&B, Rock) triple metre is much less common but examples do exist. The verses of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" from The Beatles' 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, "Manic Depression" from the 1967 album, Are You Experienced?, by Jimi Hendrix, "You Ain't The First" from the 1991 album, Use Your Illusion I, by Guns N' Roses, the verses of "3 Libras" from the 2000 album, Mer de Noms, by A Perfect Circle and "It's About Time" from Young the Giant's 2014 album, Mind over Matter.

SWV's R&B hit "Weak" mentions the lyrics "cause my heart starts beating triple time" but the song is in 4/4 time.

In film music, the score to Peter Pan by James Newton Howard is remarkable in that it is almost entirely written in triple meter.
 
When I played classical piano, I found 3/4 was just as, if not more common, than 4/4 in the music I played. So 3/4 has always been a very common time for me (it was also found in concert band a lot, though not quite as common). It was a bit of a culture shock when on another music forum a drummer referred to 3/4 as an "odd time signature."

Yeah, 3/4 and 6/8 technically have the same notes but different feels. One of my bands is doing a waltzy song in 3/4, I get to really show off my jazz waltz chops there, its different but fun.
 
Seafroggys said:
Yeah, 3/4 and 6/8 technically have the same notes but different feels.
Click to expand...
I write quite a few sections in 3/4 time and some drummers nail it easy, others have a bit more difficulty, especially in landing at the right place when coming out of a fill and making the whole thing sound seamless and effortless.
I have never been able to gauge the difference between 3/4 and 6/8 ! People have tried to explain it many a time and for me, they're both just "waltz time" !
I love waltz time ! But it never comes across as something you can hold a lady to in my songs........
 
grimtraveller said:
I write quite a few sections in 3/4 time and some drummers nail it easy, others have a bit more difficulty, especially in landing at the right place when coming out of a fill and making the whole thing sound seamless and effortless.
I have never been able to gauge the difference between 3/4 and 6/8 ! People have tried to explain it many a time and for me, they're both just "waltz time" !
I love waltz time ! But it never comes across as something you can hold a lady to in my songs........
Click to expand...

The way I interpret it, in 3/4 the quarter note is very strong, whereas in 6/8 the emphasis is on the 1 and 4.
 
I have a couple of 3/4 tunes in their early recording stages sitting on the shelf.
I'm still considering how to proceed with them and not end up with some obvious oom-pa-pa waltzy vibe.
I want the 3/4 rhythm, but have it somewhat "masked" by the arrangement.

There's a lot of 3/4 in Country music, and it doesn't always sound "waltzy".
 
miroslav said:
I have a couple of 3/4 tunes in their early recording stages sitting on the shelf.
I'm still considering how to proceed with them and not end up with some obvious oom-pa-pa waltzy vibe.
I want the 3/4 rhythm, but have it somewhat "masked" by the arrangement.
Click to expand...
Sometimes, I do like the obvious waltzy feel. I tend to do it as a piss take because the instruments on top are either anything but waltz like or the subject matter is not something you'd play in polite society :D a la
grimtraveller said:
it never comes across as something you can hold a lady to in my songs........
Click to expand...
.
Jonny Deep mentioned "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" earlier, a few really interesting Beatles tunes with that waltzy time but well disguised are the mid section of "We can work it out"{just after the 'fussing' and before the 'fighting'}, "Dig a pony" and "Dig it."
 
I am still struggling to incorporate fills that feel and more importantly sound natural , or flow correctly?!

Maybe that means they are not needed? I always lean towards the less is more motto. I want to create fills that are un-noticeable.

Rock is soo much easier!
 
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