Anything else besides 4/4 beat?

  • Thread starter Thread starter A1A2
  • Start date Start date
A1A2

A1A2

New member
Hello, all

I don't consider myself very familiar with hip hop music, however, from what I recall, I have heard nothing but 4/4 beats. It got me wondering if anyone has done something differently.
Please don't take this thread as an insult or another argument about which type of music is better. Just want to know if someone has done a non-4/4 hip hop beat, and I am very interested to hear it. Appreciated:)

AL
 
hi, DJ'FINGAZ

Sorry for not being clear. What I meant by 4/4 was four 4ths per major. I am not sure what the exact definition of a bar is..a non-native speaker here...could you explain?
An example of a non 4/4 that I am looking for would be something like 3/4(swing style). Wish I could use better musical terms here.

Thanks for replying

AL
 
I still don't know what you mean...4ths per major......?
Sorry I couldn't be of assistance....
 
Alright, I am really going to show my lacking of terms by using this example...:(

Let's say: bass drum=doo, snare=da

a 4/4 beat would be: doo, da, doo, da*4

a 3/4 would be: doo, daa, daa*4

and of course there are tons of variety of ways to arrange them(such as inserting a high-hat on every off beat), but in the same formats.
 
Exactly, Hi_D_Ho_Man! thank you

Now, a 3/4 beat was just an example of a non-4/4 that I was talking about. I am just looking for ANY non-4/4 hip hop beat

AL
 
Most are 4/4......Very rarely do I hear it differently.......most times when its changed up its not the count its just music drops of the snare a single kick instead of a double stuff like that but the count always remains the same.....
 
but too answer your ????....of a non 4/4 hip hop beat...I'll get back to you....I gotta listen to some stuff again
 
Great topic. I've done extensive research on the subject for a project I'm working on, and with the exception of some spoken word over a jazz band I think the only meter you'll find hip-hop/rap in is 4/4. I'm currently working on a track in 5/4 that is going to be pretty interesting. I'll post here when it's finished.

If anyone does know of a song in a different meter please let me know.

BTW, just FYI when someone says 4/4 they mean that there are 4 quarter notes per measure. This is the most common type of meter in hip-hip, pop, r-n-b, rock and country. Commonly in hip-hop music the snare will fall on 2 and 4, or the second and last quarter note in a musical meaure.

Another note, DJ's can blend 2 song together because of the fact that they are both in 4/4 meter and in the same tempo, or adjusted to the same tempo. You'd make a lot of DJ's scratch their head trying to blend 5/4 or 3/4 with 4/4.

There are other types of meter as well but that's whole other topic in itself.

Stray

www.mp3.com/PerpetualProductio
 
gec:
Truely appreciated! I am really excited to hear your findings.

stray411:
I think 5/4 is a real cool idea for hip hop. Especially when the rapper speaks out a long line w/out taking breath(just my imagination right now) Please keep us updated with your project.
oh, and is Mission Impossible really a 5/4 song? I don't have that song avaliable right now, but, from memory, it's a 4/4 as well. Correct me if I am wrong tho.

AL
 
A1, I'm 100% positive the original version of the theme"Mission Impossible" is a 5/4 song. I played it years ago with a ensemble I was in and we played it countless times. I can't recall whether it changes into 4/4 at some point, but again I can say without a doubt the majority of the song is in 5/4.

I didn't see the new movie with Tom Cruise so I don't know if they have a new theme song now though.

Stray

www.mp3.com/PerpetualProductio
 
A1, Here's a little piece on the subject from another board.

Joseph Gallant says:
There's an "urban legend"--I don't know if it's true--that when the "'Mission: Imposssible' Theme" was released as a single that Dick Clark played it on "American Bandstand" and the teenage kids on that show refused to dance to it!

Doc Neuman says:
The reason that they didn't dance to it is probably because it was written in 5/4 time. People like to dance in 4/4 time and occasionally 3/4 (waltz) time. 5/4 is a combination of 3/4 plus 2/4 mixed in. 1-2-3-1-2-1-2-3-1-2-1-2-3-1-2 etc. (I am a music teacher / composer by trade). If you liked the movie "French Connection" - Don Ellis wrote the music - also scored in a "different" time signature - 7/4. Original "Man From U.N.C.L.E" (1964) was written in 5/4. (10-31-2001)

Stray

www.mp3.com/PerpetualProductio
 
stray411:

Ah ha, that's where I remember the song from, the new Tom C.'s with Limp Biskit(?)'s version.
Listened to your song, "This is Life". Although I played the lo-fi version, I dig it. I will definitely have to ask you about hip hop production when I get back to the states next week. Good work!

AL
 
stray:

Thanks for the info, I will have to check that song out again. Yeah, anything besides 4/4 is hard to dance to for most of the people (including myself).
I was wondering if you can help me out with this beat by Radiohead called "pyramid song". It's sounds like a 3/4 beat, but it goes like this:
1-2-3-1-x2-x3-x4 <<this is one major
the " x2, x3, x4" are 1/8, everything else stays 1/4

my explaination might be off, but listen to the mp3 if you can, it's an interesting beat.

AL
 
A1, I've never heard the song but it sounds interesting. From your desription it sounds like that's in 11/8, but I don't think that's possible. You said (4) 1/4 notes and 3 (1/8) notes right? I'll try to find the song online and get back to you, but I'm signing off for the evening.

Stray

www.mp3.com/PerpetualProductio
 
Stray:

Here: nowhereradio.com/a1a2/singles

i am generally a rock guy, but I also breakdance, so hip hop has been an influence as well. I only have 4 songs there due to limited storage size, and none of those 4 happen to be either Hip Hop or non-4/4 tho. But take a listen if you are still insterested, and I will let you know when I get some hip hop stuff uploaded.

AL
 
other than 4/4

Not many have tried - but Aceyalone has done a few 6/8 tracks

i wanna hear a 7/8 - 9/8 --- lol !!

ya know
1,2
1,2
1,2,3



or 1,2,4,5,
5,6,7,8,9
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top