OK, extra level of confusion over "Anyone Who Had A Heart" is the way the bars are grouped, there are five bar phrases alternating with four bar phrases.
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 19:38 (sixteen years ago) link
Hm, maybe there's no chopped off bar, just a little hiccup of syncopation. I guess people mean 5/4 and 4/4 with triplets, so what I was calling 5 bars is considered one bar.
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 19:53 (sixteen years ago) link
Anyone who killed a thread...
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 20:18 (sixteen years ago) link
The Fiery Furnaces - Straight Street
I would call this a pop song.
― our work is never over, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 20:18 (sixteen years ago) link
The Go-Betweens had their fair share: "Cattle and Cane," "Two Steps, Step Out," "The Ghost and the Black Hat."
― Jazzbo, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 20:43 (sixteen years ago) link
What's going on in 'Fake Empire' by The National? Some bits are 4/4, others 3/4 - or maybe it's 4/4 throughout but the drums are 3/4 - or maybe the drummer just uses triplets a lot, I don't know. This is why I'm not a musician.
― Ismael Klata, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 21:11 (sixteen years ago) link
The song is in 3/4, but the piano is playing that dotted 8th note pattern that creates a 4/4 feel over the top.
― Jordan, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 21:22 (sixteen years ago) link
The Elvin Jones/Greek bandleader joke is in the "Jokes" section of Jazz Anecdotes.
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Tuesday, 12 February 2008 02:39 (sixteen years ago) link
"Welcome To The Cheap Seats" by The Wonderstuff is in 5/4 plus it has some triplets in the chorus which adds to the rhythmic complexity.
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 12 February 2008 22:09 (sixteen years ago) link
I was listening to a tune of the newest Low album last night that's in 9. Can't remember which one offhand but I'll check later.
― Jordan, Wednesday, 13 February 2008 21:26 (sixteen years ago) link
Oingo Boingo were big on playing half- or third-measures all the time
― Curt1s Stephens, Wednesday, 13 February 2008 23:09 (sixteen years ago) link
Surprised no one's mentioned:
Sugababes - Round Round
― daavid, Saturday, 31 July 2010 02:31 (thirteen years ago) link
"Hey Ya" is definitely crowded with weird time signature, and that is very much a major reason for its appeal and impact. Not at least because it is from a genre where this kind of thing (apart from polyrhythmics and other microrhythmic tendencies, it must be added) is so unusual.― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, September 22, 2006 8:00 AM (3 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, September 22, 2006 8:00 AM (3 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
― krippendorf's trife (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, 31 July 2010 02:38 (thirteen years ago) link
that TOTALLY PROG bar of 2/4
The verses of Arcade Fire's "Modern Man" have a very weird structure.
This is as best as I can figure out the first verse, from when the guitar comes in:
one measure of 8four measures of 9 (Win's vocal comes in on the second)two measures of 8two measures of 9two measures of 8four measures of 9one measure of 8
― jaymc, Wednesday, 1 September 2010 18:20 (thirteen years ago) link
"i love rock and roll"
― bernard goony (The Reverend), Wednesday, 1 September 2010 21:49 (thirteen years ago) link
(some accelerated turnaround bars of 7 in there)
― bernard goony (The Reverend), Wednesday, 1 September 2010 21:50 (thirteen years ago) link
okay i generally don't listen to the arcade fire but i am on the case
― the parking garage has more facebook followers than my band (Jordan), Wednesday, 1 September 2010 22:08 (thirteen years ago) link
jaymc, are you counting 8th notes? here's why i think it comes off as tricky: there are bars of 5/4, but they always accent the "&" of 5 before the one, and don't really mark the one (at least in the drums). usually when people play odd times they hit the one pretty clearly, and you only hear that kind of anticipation in 4/4.
so, i hear the verse as alternating measures of 4/4 and 5/4, but downbeat of the 4/4 bars is anticipated by an 8th note. does that make sense?
― the parking garage has more facebook followers than my band (Jordan), Wednesday, 1 September 2010 22:11 (thirteen years ago) link
I believe Juliana Hatfield's 'Spin the bottle' is in 5/4.
― Neil A.Simpson, Thursday, 2 September 2010 09:45 (thirteen years ago) link
xp I guess that makes sense; I've always been lousy at counting off-beats.
― jaymc, Friday, 3 September 2010 15:36 (thirteen years ago) link
It's been mentione upthread but just a moment ago I was listening to 'hey ya' and noticed for the first time it doesn't have a straight 4/4 time signature.
― Moka, Sunday, 5 December 2010 01:00 (thirteen years ago) link
9/8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-YrTtYaCD0&feature=player_embedded
― Dalai Mixture (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 20 February 2012 04:09 (twelve years ago) link
I think we discussed this in another thread but there's a single bar of 3/4 at the end of the bridge in Beyonce's "Single Ladies".
― The Reverend, Monday, 20 February 2012 04:23 (twelve years ago) link
There was a really good article in an old issue of the English musicology journal Popular Music on the really free meter in some early Incredible String Band songs. "October Song" from the first album is a good example.
― timellison, Monday, 20 February 2012 04:29 (twelve years ago) link
And, interestingly, both of those guys did it. Try counting the meter in "Gently Tender."
― timellison, Monday, 20 February 2012 04:34 (twelve years ago) link
Pink Floyd - "Bike"
― everything else is secondary (Lee626), Monday, 20 February 2012 05:19 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIkOVe0MF1k
― LeRooLeRoo, Monday, 20 February 2012 14:32 (twelve years ago) link
lots of early Pretenders songs boast unexpected time signatures ("Tattooed Love Boys") and chord changes ("The Phone Call").
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 20 February 2012 14:39 (twelve years ago) link
Ignition (Remix) adds an extra bit of a bar here and there
― Alexandre Dumbass (dog latin), Monday, 20 February 2012 14:40 (twelve years ago) link
Pop songs. I could list 20 songs from "Trout Mask Replica" if you just want songs with funny time signatures etc
― Charles Kennedy Jumped Up, He Called 'Oh No'. (Tom D.), Monday, 20 February 2012 14:48 (twelve years ago) link
That's a great deal more obvious, though. If someone had pointed it out in a Donovan song or something, I wouldn't imagine anyone would raise that objection.
― timellison, Monday, 20 February 2012 17:56 (twelve years ago) link
ha, we discussed this in great detail iirc
yeah but it's always even (like a two beat extension, standard pop stuff)
― 40oz of tears (Jordan), Monday, 20 February 2012 18:01 (twelve years ago) link
Plus, the main thing about that article was how extreme those ISB songs are.
"Painting Box" was released as a single from the 2nd album, is in 4/4, and doesn't sound like a different genre entirely from the songs that are all over the place metrically.
― timellison, Monday, 20 February 2012 18:06 (twelve years ago) link
It's been mentioned upthread, but recently experienced firsthand that phenomenon of thinking a song might be in a weird time signature, The Smiths's "Oscillate Wildly," when actually it was on 4/4, but with the eighth notes grouped 3-3-2, which I guess is not actually that uncommon
― Can You Please POLL Out Your Window? (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 20 February 2012 18:07 (twelve years ago) link
i tried and failed to find that 'single ladies' discussion, but i definitely remember dan and i arguing about the bar at the end of the bridge.
― 40oz of tears (Jordan), Monday, 20 February 2012 18:09 (twelve years ago) link
Maybe it's naive on my part, but I tend to defer to your judgement in these discussions since you're a drummer.
― Can You Please POLL Out Your Window? (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 20 February 2012 18:14 (twelve years ago) link
Devo's "It's Not Right" is I think 6/4, 2/4, 4/4, 2/4 during the verse, but there are variations in there as well where they omit the 6/4 and use 4/4. It's great.
On the same LP, "Snowball" is in 4/4 but it has an accent on the "and" of 4, which makes it sound like an odd meter.
― Johnny Hotcox, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:23 (eleven years ago) link
Wow, my ear sucked five years ago.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:32 (eleven years ago) link
Anyway, an obvious one that wasn't mentioned here: "Strawberry Fields Forever" (a bar of 9/8 on the title line).
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:33 (eleven years ago) link
Try counting this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODJ-AAmCM-A
― Johnny Hotcox, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:34 (eleven years ago) link
Will do when I get home.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:36 (eleven years ago) link
the main reason that one is so hard to count is that there is counting in it
― drunk 'n' white's elements of style (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:37 (eleven years ago) link
Ha, yeah they were messing us kids up
I think it's 7 - 7 - 4 - 4 - 3 - 3 - 4 - 4 - 2??
― Johnny Hotcox, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:40 (eleven years ago) link
It's two bars of 14/8 (or four bars of 7/8), followed by a bar of 11/8, then a bar of 15/8, then I think it's either 16 or 17 -- the transition to the bridge confuses me
― drunk 'n' white's elements of style (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:42 (eleven years ago) link
actually johnny's divisions make more sense
The vibe solo's in 4/4!
― Johnny Hotcox, Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:44 (eleven years ago) link
Steel drums, rather
right, but there's a weird extra bar going into it I think
― drunk 'n' white's elements of style (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:47 (eleven years ago) link
I mean extra beat
― drunk 'n' white's elements of style (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:48 (eleven years ago) link