#16
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I think my understanding of "beat" is why I don't understand that distinction. I'm so used to hearing, "does the song have a good beat" ... but I suppose I really don't know the MUSICAL definition of "beat".
When I practice, strumming chords, most songs are 4/4 or 3/4 and I just tap my foot and say "One, Two, Three Four" or "One, Two, Three" for each, respectively. But that's all I know. |
#17
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Quote:
__________________
Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#18
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The point about time signatures is that they come from notation and is all about how the notes are written down but this can get overlooked by people who don't use notation. 6/8 can sound like fast 3/4 but in fact careful listening will reveal differences in emphasis. |
#19
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Here's a typical 6/8 tune http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Ou-pW5I7o |
#20
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Thanks for all the responses. I'm still somewhat confused though. I can kind of get the idea from the references to Norwegian Wood, and Five Years, but I still have difficulty distiguishing it from 3/4, which to me sounds very similar. I will watch the you tube vid as recommended by HHP and hopefully that will shed some light. I am at work right now though so will have to wait until I get home.
Again many thanks for all of your help. |
#21
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6/8 time is 6 beats to the measure, the eighth note gets one beat
3/4 time is 3 beats to the measure, the quarter note gets one beat Last edited by DDORSCH; 05-03-2013 at 10:47 AM. Reason: typo |
#22
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That is, if I'm tapping in 3/4 and as my foot goes up and down the first time, I'm saying "One-ee-and-uh". Then the second time my foot goes up and down I'm saying "Two-ee-and-uh". And finally the third time (beat?) my foot is going up and down I'm saying "Three-ee-and-uh." Below Is My Edit: That is, in 3/4, when strumming chords, I'm doing it one of three ways, like this ----> Quote:
How do I do the above in 6/8 time? (I wish I had a video of a foot going up and down and someone saying these things -- "one/two/three" or "one - and -two - and - three - and" or "one/ee/and/uh, two/ee/and/uh/, three/ee/and/uh" -- to make it clear, to show the whole thing in motion, but doing this for 6/8 so as to see and hear the difference between it and 3/4.) Last edited by Mellow_D; 05-03-2013 at 12:43 PM. |
#23
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"I'm still somewhat confused though. I can kind of get the idea from the references to Norwegian Wood, and Five Years, but I still have difficulty distiguishing it from 3/4, which to me sounds very similar."
They should sound similar but not identical. Just as , "Bob gave me 50% of his drink", and, "Bob gave me 1/2 of his drink" should have similar ideas. The difference is in which value of note is being counted (quarter vs eighth). This variance allows the player some flexibility to alter where they will place the emphasis within the measure. 3/4 time obviously counts each quarter note as one beat while 6/8 counts eighth notes. The effect is not to dissimilar to 2/2 time or "cut time"; http://piano.about.com/od/musicalter...GL_cuttime.htm Because you are counting a different value for each note the manner in which you would play the song would vary slightly. Exactly how you play the song given the time signature would be somewhat up to you as long as you keep the correct time. How the song will sound will depend on where you place the emphasis with 3/4 time almost always suggesting a waltz tempo with the emphasis on the 1; 1-2-3/1-2-3/1-2-3. If you played that time signature with the emphasis on a different beat, you would have a different song. Try it. |
#24
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3/8 has one beat, 9/8 has three beats and 12/8 has 4 beats. In compound time beats are notated as dotted quarter notes, as separate eighth notes they are written as triplets without a number 3 above. As for tapping your foot I go for down on the first part of the triplet and up on the third or, if it's very fast, down on the first beat (or triplet) and up on the second. Last edited by stanron; 05-03-2013 at 11:23 AM. |
#25
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There is some terminology mix up here between beats versus counting beats (how they are grouped for accenting). 6/8 for example has six beats per measure but is counted as two groups of three.
__________________
Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above |
#26
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The way I describe the difference is that in 3/4 a single 3 bar measure is the complete rhythmic cycle for the piece. They are grouped together in the song of course, but each one is a complete unit.
In 6/8 you've got to hear all 6 beats to hear the complete rhythmic unit. Hearing only the first 3 beats doesn't give you all the information, because the second 3 beats are different somehow than the first three - which is why it's 6/8 not 3/4. Let's say "ding" represents a cymbal hit or just a mental placeholder for a non emphasized beat; we're talking about the difference between "kick ding ding snare ding ding" (6/8) and "kick ding ding kick ding ding" (2 bars of 3/4). And every other part of the song is going to reflect the basic structural grouping in units of 6 rather than 3, although that is harder to explain or demonstrate concisely. The difference between the two halves of the 6 beat cycle doesn't have to be that specific common one I just described, but there does have to be a difference . If they were identical in every other way aside from the way they are counted/notated, there would be no need for 6/8 at all really. And that is the part of the explanation that is sometimes missing; it's not just a notation or counting difference. It is sometimes described as being about "emphasis" or "accent" but I've always found those to be ambiguous. I can emphase rhythmically in all kinds of ways without breaking the basic rhythmic structure of a piece and so that's a difficult distinction to get across. |
#27
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Just wait till you play an Irish jig that calls for you to initiate a fast triplet or roll starting within one 3 note sequence and finishing in the second in a measure. Unless your foot is as fast as a jackhammer, you'll need to have a feel for the rhythm. Like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2roku8fdF4 |
#28
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I think I understand your remaining question/confusion. The main difference between 3/4 and 6/8 is the subdivisions. 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 are subdivided into 2s (or 4s) 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 are subdivided into 3s In practical application the real contrast would be between 2/4 and 6/8 time...not 6/8 & 3/4. 2/4 time is 2 beats to a measure subdivided in even numbers (2s, 4s, 8s)
There is an equivalent in 3/4 time. It is 9/8 time - and consists of 3 beats to the measure subdivided into triplets.
Hope this helps... |
#29
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An example of 3/4 time would be singing or playing notes this way:
do re mi | do re mi | do re mi | do re mi An example of 6/8 time would be singing or playing notes this way: do re mi fa mi re | do re mi fa mi re |
#30
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The only thing missing now is to illustrate the count in Egyptian hieroglyphics .
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