Anyone who knows about time signatures help.
 

Hey I'm not advanced with drums I just make kits but I'm redoing an old recording. I primarily just make instrumental type stuff and I can't tell by the recording (idk if the tempo is changing or not or if I got the wrong one) but I can't tell if it is 6/4 or 7/4. I keep playing it and they sound the same just one beat longer held. I cannot tell which one. Does anyone know how to fix this Or what feel you think 6/4 is used for. What feel 7-4 used for? Thnx!!!

Re: Anyone who knows about time signatures help.
 

You could always try the trusty old 'dance test' - if you fall down while dancing to it... it's likely an odd meter!

Seriously, it's based on the the # of quarter or eighth notes per bar so you just need to count it (if it is in seven make sure you only give "seven" 1 'count' - back in the day we had a friend who thought he was playing in seven and proceeded to count it out for us... one-two-three-four-five-six-se-ven... doh!).

7/x examples include Money (Pink Floyd), the intro to Subdivisions (Rush), or Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel).

Does it 'feel' like one of those? Could you post a couple bars of it somewhere for us to preview?

Re: Anyone who knows about time signatures help.
 

...plus a band we've recorded,
Fu Manchu, on the track Pick Up Summer,
and the classic Tom Sawyer by Rush,
and the even more classic Pussy Wiggle Stomp from Don Ellis…
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Anyone who knows about time signatures help.
 

I was taught by my drum tutor to count odd times like this... for example 7/4 as
1234123 or 5/4 as 12341
It helped me anyway

Re: Anyone who knows about time signatures help.
 

Then there's the Nashville drummer that counted 7/4 like this:
one-two-three-four-five-six-sev-ven......:p

Re: Anyone who knows about time signatures help.
 

Sounds like we knew the same guy!

http://dkap.info/oddtime.php is a good list for those that want more examples of odd meter songs.

Re: Anyone who knows about time signatures help.
 

Odd time signatures are not as scarce as some think. The Mission Impossible theme is 5/4 for example.

There's any number of pop songs in 6/8, which isn't odd, but definitely not in the 4/4 groove. One of my beefs with a lot of the midi arp generators out there, especially on the Yamaha Motif XS, is how few of the 6,000+ arps it comes with are outside the 4/4 or 3/4 box. Yes, you can create your own, but that is a bit time consuming to say the least.

Here's a list of several songs in unusual time sigs.

Re: Anyone who knows about time signatures help.
 

YES were masters of odd meter music. Clever stuff


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Re: Anyone who knows about time signatures help.
 

My fav...Captain Beyond; Dancing Madly Backwards:D

Re: Anyone who knows about time signatures help.
 

You want time signature oddities - try Dave Brubeck's Take Five. I forget the actual time sigs but his left hand and right hand are playing two different time sigs at the same time.