RezZ-
Thanks for the feedback man. I'll keep exploring into it. I really wanna be able to play some decent jazz someday.
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ThePhanastasio -
Okay you have the time signature - two numbers stacked on top of each other.
Top number tells you - how many beats per measure. (This can be any integer 1 - 10000, usually 12 is as high number, 2 is a low number).
Bottom number tells you - which note gets one beat. (This can be 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64.... (just multiply by two). Anything higher than 16 is kind of ridiculous though for most pieces, and 1 isn't too common. Most are in the range of 2, 4, or 8).
With the top number telling you how many beats per measure, the only question is "what note gets one beat?" And that's easy enough. You have to realize that the relationship between note durations is always the same-
One whole note ALWAYS equals 2 half notes.
One half note ALWAYS equals 2 quarter notes.
Etc.
But a quarter note is not always 1 beat.
If you have a 1 on the bottom of the time signature, a whole note is 1 beat. So a 4/1 measure would be 4 whole note per measure (and any combinations of other notes that add up to this total number). 4/1 is not very common. But in having a 1 on the bottom, a whole note is 1 beat, a half note is half a beat, a quarter note is a fourth of a beat, and so on.
If you have a 2 on the bottom, the half note is 1 beat. Therefor, the whole note is 2 beats, the quarter note is half a beat, and the eighth note is a fourth of a beat.
If you have a 4 on the bottom, the quarter note is 1, the half note is 2, the whole note is 4, and the eighth note is half.
If you have an 8 on the bottom, the eighth note is 1, the sixteenth note is half a beat, the quarter note is 2, the half note is 4, and the whole note is 8.
Finally, if you have a 16 on the bottom, the 16th note is 1, the 8th note is 2, the quarter note is 4, the half note is 8, and the whole note is a whopping 16.
This means that each time your metronome clicks (or your toe taps the ground), the beat that equals 1 has passed (generally).
The way I figure out what note equals 1 is that you just put 1 over x (1/x), where x is your bottom number.
So if you have 4/4, you take 1/4, which is a fourth, or
quarter, so the
quarter note = 1 beat.
If you have 2 on the bottom, 1/2 is a
half, so the
half note = 1.
More examples to drive the point home:
8/8 = 8 eighth notes per measure.
5/4 = 5 quarter notes per measure.
2/2 = 2 half notes per measure.
682/128 = 682 128th notes per measure (This is a ridiculous time signature only to illustrate. If you see this in serious music, you have full license to punch the composer in the face.)
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::Strong beats::
Generally you have strong and weak beats. These beats are played with a little more power to give the rhythm a feel of being in a certain time signature. Normally, strong beats are places for chord changes, important notes, etc. But first we need to talk about 'simple' and 'compound' meters (time signatures).
Simple are either 2, 3, or 4 (we're talking about the top number of time signatures
only).
I'll bold the strong beats.
2 :
1 2
1 2
1 2
1 2
1 2 (1 is stronger than 2).
3 :
1 2 3
1 2 3
1 2 3
1 2 3 (1 is stronger than 2 and 3).
4 :
1 2
3 4
1 2
3 4
1 2
3 4
1 2
3 4 (1 and 3 are BOTH stronger than 2 and 4).
Now onto compound: 6 9 12. Basically you multiply everything by groups of 3:
1 2 3
4 5 6 (1 and 4 are the strongest)
1-2-3
4-5-6. Notice how it's similar to just the simple 2, only with a triplet figure present.
Same with 9 and 12.
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
1-2-3
4-5-6
7-8-9
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
10 11 12
1-2-3
4-5-6
7-8-9
10-11-12
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Mixed meters:
Still talking about your top number here, these are the ones that don't divide into groups of 3, and aren't the simple ones. Typical numbers include 5, 7, 8, 10, and probably even 11.
5 is uneven. It's usually a group of 3, and a group of 2. Which one happens first is up to the composer. I've seen some compositions in one version, some in the other, and a few that actually switch back and forth every measure.
So either one of these is correct:
1-2
3-4-5
1-2-3
4-5
Same with 7 - a group of 3, and 2 groups of 2:
1-2
3-4
5-6-7
1-2
3-4-5
6-7
1-2-3
4-5
6-7
10 is usually 2 groups of 3, and 2 groups of 2. This
cannot be arranged (usually) like
1-2-3
4-5
6-7-8
9-10 nor
1-2
3-4-5
6-7
8-9-10 because then you run the risk of it just sounding like it's in 5, and why not just use that instead, right?
I'd say the most common 10 setup is
1-2-3
4-5-6
7-8
9-10.
As for 11, it's kind of out there (and I'm not sure I've even seen it). But I'm sure it's been used somewhere by someone. It's not a very common one though, of course. I'm sure you can use groups of 2's and 3's to make it sound interesting at your discretion.
8's a little special. Simple ones would just be 2 groups of 4:
1-2-3-4
5-6-7-8.
But a more interesting one is:
1-2-3
4-5-6
7-8. Coldplay uses this in Clocks as their background rhythm pattern. It's a very very common setup in pop music of today.
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Two final things you should know about time signatures:
4/4 is the most common time signature. It's nicknamed "common time" and written with a C.
2/2 is another common one, and is called "cut time" (or "alla breve" in... England? I don't know anyone that says "alla breve", but it's in a theory book that I teach out of). This is written with a Cents sign (a C with a vertical line through it).
I hope this answered your question. Feel free to ask any follow up questions, ThePhanastasio.
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jayshreddz-
And if you're a true English speaker, you just speak it with your fellow man because you don't need to read or write something that isn't verbally spoken.
Oh wait. You're on a forum, reading and typing.