Under the compound time beam the beat is a dotted crotchet. Most usually you will want to group the notes by 3. After all, a feel by 3 is what compound time is all about. Sometimes you will want to feel compound time by 2. Your writing should reflect the feel. Compound time allows you … Read more
How to divide the beat (Simple time) The most common unit for a simple time beat is a crotchet. Two beamed quavers or four beamed semiquavers make a crotchet beat. 8 x 4 In simple time, all time is in patterns of 4. How many ways can you arrange 4 uints of time? There are … Read more
Attack is the extent to which the note is hit. Rhythm is communicated through attack. Once hit, how long is the note allowed to sound? Decay is the time within the full duration of the note that the sound is made. You can program a computer to attack and decay, but how good is the … Read more
Know when something looks wrong Tell me what is wrong with this music? Let’s correct the notation. In the correct notation I can tell at a glance where the beat starts. I can see the point of natural accent. The musician will give a great performance. They will keep track of their part in relation … Read more
Is this correct time? No. Play the music and clap your hands. Do you naturally clap your hands in-line with the beam? No. Therefore the time signature is wrong. You clap your hands in multiples of three. In compound time you could transcribe the melody to 12 – 8 where the weight is on each … Read more
In uneven time Uneven time signatures are common in traditional Greek and Turkish dances and in modern jazz. Both simple and compound beats 5 – 8 Uneven time2 beats to the bar, one simple and one compound. 7 – 8 Uneven time3 beats to the bar, 2 simple and one compound. 9 – 8 Uneven … Read more
In compound time Time Signature In all frequently used compound time signatures the bottom number is 8. Three 8th notes (quavers) make a beat. Divide the top number by 3 for the number of beats to the bar. In 6 – 8 time there are six eighth notes to the bar, two compound beats to … Read more
In simple time Time Signature The bottom number tells you the value of the beat. The top number tells you the number of “beats to the bar”. In 3 – 4 time there are 3 crotchet (quarter note) beats to the bar. When the bottom number is 4 the beat is a quarter note, … Read more
The beat is what you clap your hands to. It is something you feel. On paper the beat is beamed. There are three beats in this example. During a waltz you may turn to 123 – 123. In a waltz there are three beats to each natural accent. The natural accent is on 1. A … Read more
A time for sound and silence Time is measured in sound and silence, sound in notes and silence in rests. Name Value Note Rest Semibrevewhole note 4 crotchets Minimhalf note 2 crotchets Crotchetquarter note 1 crotchet Quavereighth note 1/2 of a crotchet Semiquaversixteenth note 1/4 of a crotchet Demisemiquaverthirty-second note 1/8 of a crotchet Hemidemisemiquaversixty-fourth … Read more