How do you read weird time signatures like 12/8 or 7/4 ? How do you count them out, and what gets the beat?
Thankss
While it is usually taught that in a time signature the top note tells how many beats in a measure and the bottom what kind of note gets on 1 beat, it is not quite the case.
In the case of signatures like 12/8 or 6/8 or 6/4 etc., these are called compound time signatures. If the upper note is divisible by 3 then it is compound. In that case, instead of the normal subdivision of 2 eight notes per beat (or quarte notes in the case of 6/4), each beat is sub-divided into 3 eight notes. 12/8 has 4 beats in each measure.
The basic counting would be 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a etc. -- every group of three eights is one beat. Think of the beat unit as being a dotted quarter note in x/8 time or dotted half in x/4. It is also easier to count this way than saying "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12". These meters give that triplet feeling that you might get in the blues.
When the time signature has a number not divisible by 2 or 3, these are called "complex time signatures" This would be 5/4 7/4 or 5/8 7/8 etc. I'll start with 5/4
In these signatures, the primary accents will usually fall in groups of 2's and 3's. Thus 5/4 might be "1 2 1 2 3" or "1 2 3 1 2" The act as combinations of 2/4 AND 3/4. (or 4/4 AND 3/4)
7/4 could be "1 2 1 2 1 2 3" or "1 2 1 2 3 1 2 " or "1 2 3 1 2 1 2" or "1 2 3 4 1 2 3" etc.
> > > > > > > > > > >
Complex Time Signatures usually have a feeling of 2 or three with one beat longer than the others. Just subdivide into the appropriate accent pattern for your piece.
Dave Brubeck was known for using odd meters. His "Take Five" is an excellent example in 5/4. He also did things in 7/4 as well as odd divisions of 4/4 (eigth notes divided into a pattern of 2 groups of 3 eigths (not triplets) and a group of 2 eights.
Normal 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Odd 1 & a 2 & a 3 &
I hope that this helps.
