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Communicating with different time signatures

4 + 3

It’s safe to say that most songs in the singer-songwriter category are either in 4/4 or 3/4. Tasteful use of these two time signatures gives you an expressive way of extending a line, creating tension, and communicating feeling.

For instance, what happens when you’ve been playing in 4/4 for the entire verse, and then switch to 3/4 for the chorus? What does that communicate? Is there a sense of tension, surprise? Or try the verse in 3/4 and the chorus in 4/4.

How about using a single bar of 3/4 in the chorus, just before going back to the verse? How about extending the chorus by adding one more bar of 3/4?

Sometimes this type of thing works really well. Other times, not so much. Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting used to something new.

 

Expectations

These kinds of moves are always unexpected, and add interest even if that’s the only reason you use them. But they’re always more interesting if you use them in support of the lyrics.

For instance, if the line at the end of a verse expresses a feeling of uncertainty or tension, then a time signature different than the one you’re already using might support that feeling. If the end of the verse expressed confidence, then continuing with the existing time signature makes sense.

 

Living, breathing music

Using time signatures in this way means that you wouldn’t be repeating the same thing every verse. There would be a sense of organic change in the music as the feelings in the lyrics change.

These are really broad ideas. In the next post, I’ll get more specific, and use different time signatures on the same lyric to show how they affect the meaning of the words.

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Time signatures: what they are and why they’re cool

The time signature lives right at the beginning of every song.

You know. That thing that looks like a fraction.

As it turns out, there’s a lot to say about this thing. Check out the Wikipedia article.

Or not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meter_(music)

 

What’s it for?

In the simplest terms, the time signature tells you two things:

 

  • how many beats are in a bar, and
  • what those beats are worth

 

By “worth”, I mean quarter-notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, etc.

So a time signature of 4/4 means that there are 4 beats in the bar (the first number) and each beat is worth a quarter note (the second number). 3/8 means that there are three beats in the bar, and each beat is worth an eighth note.

 

The second number

The first number can be anything (though it doesn’t usually go above 11). The second number points to a note value. The possibilities for this number and what it corresponds to are:

 

  • 1 – whole-note (rare)
  • 2 – half-note
  • 4 – quarter-note
  • 8 – eighth-note
  • 16 – sixteenth-note
  • 32 – thirty-second-note (rare)

 

Getting interesting

But all that is just background.

Time signatures get interesting when you realize that there’s more to life than 4/4 and ¾ These get the most use by far, but there’s a lot more to consider.

I’ve defined the possibilities for the second number. You’ll notice they’re all multiples of two. Except for the whole note.

The first number can combine twos and threes. This can produce crazy looking time signatures, but that’s not what makes a song interesting.

What makes a song interesting, what creates its unique feel, is how you put the twos and threes together.

 

4/4 can get boring

Let me explain.

If you play in 4/4 all the time, it probably means you’re emphasizing the same beats every song.: the first beat and the third beat, or the second beat and the fourth beat.

Now take a simple time signature like 5/4. 5/4 is a combination of two and three. It’s either 2 + 3, or 3 + 2.

So what, you say?

 

Strumming

Well, strum a chord in 5/4 and emphasize beat 1 and beat 3.

Screen Shot 2016-02-06 at 6.30.47 AM

 

Now strum a chord and 5/4 and emphasize beat 1 and beat 4.

Screen Shot 2016-02-06 at 6.32.26 AM

 

Two completely different feels in one time signature.

 

Possibilities. Lots.

Imagine emphasizing beat 1 and beat 3 in the verse, and beat 1 and beat 4 in the chorus. Or 4/4 in the verse, and 5/4 in the chorus. Or maybe just use 5/4 in the bridge…

The point is, with one simple time signature, a whole bunch of possibilities open up. Why not take advantage of that?

 

 

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