Rock Songs with Non Standard Time Signatures

[PatrickJ]

Hi Guys,

I need some help identifying a number of rock songs that incorporate some non-standard time signatures within them that aren't prog metal.  I've picked up a few ideas but would like to come up with some more (need to keep our prog loving drummer engaged in Jam nights post lockdown)  Ideas thus far ...

Times Like These - Has those 7/8 sections

Mountains - I believe the verse is in 15/16 time with a few sections being in 3/4 too

Black Dog - The 5/4 guitar riffs over the 4/4 drums

The Ocean - The 4/4 and 7/8 riffs through the song (plus the walking bass at the end of the song seems fun to play).

Limelight

Thanks

 

[paul_c2]

Some obvious ones are:

Pink Floyd - Money
Blondie - Heart of Glass
Aretha Franklin - Never Loved a Man (its in 9/8, or 3/4 swingtime)

[chris_b]

The BeeGee's Jive Talking has a break where the melody is in 7/4 and the drums keep to 4/4. It's weird with the snare drum hitting 2 & 4 for 2 bars then 1 & 3 in the next 2 bars.

[Dad3353]

Sound Garden : The Day I Tried To Live

Muse : Hysteria

System Of A Down : Toxicity

These are non-prog rock songs good for keeping drummers (and singers...) interested, maybe..? They go down very well to discerning audiences, too; they're part of our repertoire. 

 

[chris_b]

If you can work out what time signatures are being played in this number you're doing better than me. . . . . .

If - Fibonacci's Number

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18jk2oRkyPc

 

[drTStingray]

Jethro Tull - Living in the Past - it's in 5/4

All the more extraordinary in 1969 as it got into the UK singles top 10 (3) and US top 20. 

[atsampson]

The Grateful Dead have a load of songs with odd time signatures, e.g. "Playing In The Band" (10/4?) and "Estimated Prophet" (7/4).

Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" (7/8) isn't exactly rock but everybody's heard it...

[Graham]

Faith No More? Land Of Sunshine jumps to mind 

Youc could try some of the more melodic Dillinger Escape Plan material, like One Of Us Is The Killer, Milk Lizard or Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants - but may be too heavy still.

[uk_lefty]

Not sure if it's in the realms of what you want to do but Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds has time sig changes.

Will follow this thread with interest because my drummer has his toys out the pram about having to play four on the floor all the time instead of just thinking about how he can make it more interesting for himself. 

Edited July 9, 2020 by uk_lefty

[Steve Browning]

Music by John Miles. The middle is in 7/4.

[joeystrange]

There’s a song on the new Slipknot album called Spiders which is in 7/8 IIRC. 

[Maude]

Here's another System Of A Down song that's in many different signatures, and in all honesty it keeps changing so quickly I don't know what the hell is going on.

They use odd timings quite a lot and is possible due to their Armenian heritage, I don't know but I can imagine traditional Armenian music using odd timings. 

Spoonman by Soundgarden is 7/4 in the verses. 

And of there's Led Zeps Kashmir, polyrhythm with 4/4 drums but most of the rest in 3/4,but the drums are boring as hell so maybe go with Blackdog instead, 3/4, 4/4 and 5/4. 

 

[Steve Browning]

10 minutes ago, joeystrange said:

There’s a song on the new Slipknot album called Spiders which is in 7/8 IIRC. 

That's a tricky one for them to scuttle in time to!

[fragility]

 RHCP - Ethopia

Foo Fighters - Times Like These

[Old Man Riva]

6 hours ago, drTStingray said:

Jethro Tull - Living in the Past - it's in 5/4

All the more extraordinary in 1969 as it got into the UK singles top 10 (3) and US top 20. 

One of my favourite bass lines... 

[Merton]

Alice In Chains: Them Bones (7/8 mostly) and Dam That River (6/4)

Def Leppard: Ring Of Fire has a 7/4 section

Aaron Buchanan and the Cult Classics - Mind of a Mute (6/4 IIRC)

Edited July 9, 2020 by Merton

[Earbrass]

More folk-rock than plain rock, Tielle Heitetty by Finnish band Värttinä is in 11/4, and their track Kivutar is largely in 37/8,  though I can't claim to have counted that one myself.

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Earbrass

[NancyJohnson]

Undoubtedly there's going to be a plethora of stuff posted here.

If you want musical madness combining odd time signatures juxtapositioned with ever odder key changes and dischords, look no further than Shudder To Think.  Despite my description, it's all amazingly coherent.  I turned @hiram.k.hackenbacker about a week ago, loads more previously.  I'd suggest listening to Pony Express Record (where they really hit their stride) and then navigate backwards (Get Your Goat).  I mentioned to Brains that he ought to listen once and then go again.

This has recently surfaced...unedited live footage from MTVs 120 Minutes show. 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by NancyJohnson

[EBS_freak]

The Crunge - Led Zep

[Japhet]

The Riverboat Song - Ocean Colour Scene  (6/4)

Turn it On Again - Genesis ( Something weird)

[Nail Soup]

Here's one from an unlikley candidate.......

OK, it's not the whole or even main part of song, but Rockaway Beach by the Ramones has the instrumental riff (comes after the choruses) in 5/4 time over a 4/4 drum beat.

Caused a fair bit of discussion when my covers band first did it.

[Mykesbass]

Took me weeks to convince my old band that there was a bar of 3/4 in th emiddle of this, effectively making it 15/4 I guess. Any excuse to share!

 

[MacDaddy]

Not seeing any examples of non-standard. Any time signature with a bottom number of 2, 4, or 8 is pretty standard

 

So here's an example which has a section in 5/5

 

 

[Mykesbass]

5 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

Not seeing any examples of non-standard. Any time signature with a bottom number of 2, 4, or 8 is pretty standard

 

So here's an example which has a section in 5/5

 

 

How does that work?

[Lozz196]

I wouldn’t know if a song wasn’t in straight 4/4, other than it would just sound a bit “off”. And if it did I’d have no idea what actual time sig it was in.