How is 1/4 time signature said?

[kidkage]

Kind of a dumb question I always set my metronomes to 1/4 instead of 4/4.

Anyway, I've been pronouncing it "one-four" just as I pronounce 4/4 as "four-four".
Is that right?
Mentally I wonder whether it's "one fourth" or "quarter" or something else.

I'm doing a tutorial and have to say it. while explaining something. I can't believe I even have to ask this

 

[Steenamaroo]

It's not something that's said often but I would say one four.

It's not a quarter or a fourth because that's not what it means.
1/4 in that context means one quarter length note per bar. 4/4 is four quarter notes per bar.

Do you change your metronome to 1/4 to avoid confusion with 1st beat emphasis?

 

[kidkage]

It's not something that's said often but I would say one four.

It's not a quarter or a fourth because that's not what it means.
1/4 in that context means one quarter length note per bar. 4/4 is four quarter notes per bar.

Do you change your metronome to 1/4 to avoid confusion with 1st beat emphasis?

Thanks!


Yeah, pretty much.
When I first used a metronome for guitar playing it was an old school single clicker. Then when I started playing with bands time was kept by tapping a foot or hitting a hi-hat. Then on my first multitrack default metronome was the same.

Anything more than a single click throws me off . Also speeding up or slowing down tempo is easier for me with 1/4 since instead of having to change the bpm or get caught up in time signatures and all that I can just change where that oh so comforting click fits in with my rhythm. ...does that make sense? i'm not sure how to explain it

Playing to a 4/4 metronome just throws me all over the place.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Cool. I've done that before to save the hassle of putting in tempo changes.
Nice to know I'm not the only one.

I didn't get your rep comment, btw. Maybe it's just too late here.

 

[Armistice]

Ten four good buddy.... (or one four in your case! )

 

[Steenamaroo]

They even got a bear in the air!

 

[RAMI]

You might be setting your metronome to "1/4", but you're still playing in 4/4 or whatever the time signature of the tune is. That's not really important in a playing sense, but it is important if you're writing a tutorial and explaining time signatures to people.

 

[kidkage]

You might be setting your metronome to "1/4", but you're still playing in 4/4 or whatever the time signature of the tune is. That's not really important in a playing sense, but it is important if you're writing a tutorial and explaining time signatures to people.

Yeah, yeah, most definitely.

I'm just explaining this step sequencer. The visualization of the loop changes depending on what your time signature is set as in Ableton. I just wanted to make sure I say "Mine is in 1/4" properly

 

[kidkage]

Cool. I've done that before to save the hassle of putting in tempo changes.
Nice to know I'm not the only one.

I didn't get your rep comment, btw. Maybe it's just too late here.

lol. it was just a random limerick

 

[mixsit]

Not that it matters...
'One beat to the measure and every quarter note gets a beat..

Wouldn't that mean it's in 1/1? - they'd all basically become a string of whole notes right?



Another way to do it is to turn the emphasis on one down if it'll let you.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Wouldn't that mean it's in 1/1? - they'd all basically become a string of whole notes right?

Nah, the second 1 there is note value with reference to BPM.

1/1 would be one semibreve beat per bar, I think.

1/4, 2/4 and 4/4 metronomes will all sound exactly the same apart from the 1st beat emphasis, if the nome has that.,
because they're all a number of quarter beats the same bmp per bar.

 

[Steenamaroo]

You might be setting your metronome to "1/4", but you're still playing in 4/4 or whatever the time signature of the tune is. That's not really important in a playing sense, but it is important if you're writing a tutorial and explaining time signatures to people.

I duno about him but when I change it it's because a song doesn't religiously stick to 4/4.

Inevitably half way through the song your
BAP bip bip bip BAP bip bip bip, becomes
bip bip BAP bip, bip bip BAP bip
because you hold a chord an extra 2 beats somewhere.

 

[RAMI]

I duno about him but when I change it it's because a song doesn't religiously stick to 4/4.

Inevitably half way through the song your
BAP bip bip bip BAP bip bip bip, becomes
bip bip BAP bip, bip bip BAP bip
because you hold a chord an extra 2 beats somewhere.

Yes, I deliberately do that often in my songs, add a beat or 2 or a bar to the end of a section. I'm just guessing, but I think he wants to do it because he just wants a steady click and doesn't want to hear the accent on "one".

 

[Steenamaroo]

Yes, I deliberately do that often in my songs, add a beat or 2 or a bar to the end of a section. I'm just guessing, but I think he wants to do it because he just wants a steady click and doesn't want to hear the accent on "one".

Exactly so.
It's one of my nits with ProTools. You (seem to) have to do what the OP is suggesting to get an unaccented click.
Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[RAMI]

Exactly so.
It's one of my nits with ProTools. You (seem to) have to do what the OP is suggesting to get an unaccented click.
Maybe I'm missing something.

I don't know Pro-tools, but I would think you should be able to configure the metronome so that you can adjust the volumes of the lcicks, accents, etc....Probably should be able to change the sounds of the clicks. In REAPER, you can make the "one" a cowbell (for example) and the other clicks tamborines (also for example).

 

[Steenamaroo]

Yeah, you can set it to cowbell or whatever but that covers the whole clicks. The only accent in that case is done by volume, which is adjustable.
The standard click, which I prefer, always clicks highpitch-low-low-low.

Sounds like it's just not as customisable as reaper's.

 

[Mr Clean]

I find it much easier to set up a VSTi midi track, put 4 hi-hat hits in and drag it out for the length of the song I'm recording. Takes about 30 seconds and it's much easier on the ears than a metronome.

 

[RAMI]

I find it much easier to set up a VSTi midi track, put 4 hi-hat hits in and drag it out for the length of the song I'm recording. Takes about 30 seconds and it's much easier on the ears than a metronome.

True. I actually don't use a metronome when I record. I set a up a drum beat with 8th note hi-hats, kik on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4., and I play to that.

 

[Steenamaroo]

True. I actually don't use a metronome when I record. I set a up a drum beat with 8th note hi-hats, kik on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4., and I play to that.

Aye, I've done that before, but without mapping the song out that can go out of sync too.
Lately I've just been getting a scratch recording of the song done in free time then, if suitable, warping it to comply with a tempo.
If not, I'll warp the tempo to comply with the performance.
From there I'll map out a proper placeholder beat/bass/keys and do a re record.

Usually it's a mix of the two. I'll warp the recording to iron out the creases and then make the tempo fit that.

Of course this is acoustic stuff. There's no drummer to go first.

Doing a 10 track CD at the minute. I think maybe six of them worked to a straight click and the other 4 needed tweaking as above.

 

[Greg_L]

Man you guys are picky.