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Clever time signature changes.


bubinga5

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It was Money by Pink Floyd that brought me to this thought. Its very clever. 7/4 going into a 4/4  rock and back and forth they go. What and where did they get this inspiration from.??? Ive always loved the record. Incredibly interesting music that im still discovering today. Always makes me laugh when people start to bob there head when the 4/4 kicks in but are confused by the 7/4 time.  Can anyone think of other records that chang time signatures like this. It does make for a roller coster ride rhythmically.. 

 

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2 minutes ago, paul_5 said:

Lateralus by Tool is almost entirely in 5/4. Amazing album.

 

’Driven’ by Rush swaps between 4/4, 7/8 and 3/4 before even hitting the chorus. 

 

Carve away the Stone from the same album manages 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4 and 6/4 (i think 7/4 as well).

Most of the Awake album by Dream Theater is a random foray into odd-time.

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3 minutes ago, Daz39 said:

Carve away the Stone from the same album manages 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4 and 6/4 (i think 7/4 as well).

Most of the Awake album by Dream Theater is a random foray into odd-time.

Surely all of Dream Theater's albums are random forays into odd time signatures.  Now and again I get the feeling they're just taking the fosters.

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5 minutes ago, jacko said:

Surely all of Dream Theater's albums are random forays into odd time signatures.  Now and again I get the feeling they're just taking the fosters.

Yes, DT always come across as trying too hard to me; technicality doesn’t always equal musicality...

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If the time signature is the main thing you remember about a song then I would guess that the song may be rather weak.

Here's an example where you only become aware of the 5/4 time as the song progresses - it doesn't bite your face off as soon as you hear it, it just feels natural.

From the very wonderful Cardiacs - here's 'Day is Gone'.

 

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Waltz time is sadly much neglected in Rock but it surprising who has dabbled (Sabbath, Stranglers etc. etc.)

Golden Brown is a lovely example of a wonderful song that did well in the charts that alternated bars of 5/4 and 4/4 making it compelling to hear but virtually impossible to dance to.

There are some nice early Tull songs in 3/4 and 5/4, also a tendency to stick in bars with the odd extra note. Zeppelin do very odd things with Page and Jones' parts shifting around relative to Bonham's drumming on some tracks.

Most early Yes and Genesis...

Then there's YYZ by Rush*...

 

*Listening to 13 today I noticed one track has several short spiky passages in 6/8 which are very reminiscent of YYZ, surely a  coincidence.

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Turn it on again by Genesis. Timing is all over the place but, like Money, you don't notice till you try and tap your feet.

We used to play it - or try to - and it defeated the drummer every time

Edited by Skinnyman
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 Blondie went from 4/4 into 3/4 a couple of times in 'Heart Of Glass'.

 

Richard Harris' MacArthur Park was littered with various time signatures and tempos.

Maynard Ferguson's MacArthur Park was slightly different, it had 4/4, 3/4 2/4, 5/4, 6/4 and double time swing (including 3/2, along with the extended solos).

 

 

 

Edited by lowdown
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