Can someone clear up a bit of confution I have about partial measures.
I understand how it works for the melody. The missing beats before the pickup note(s) show up at the end, in the final measure with the double bar.
But the chords?
The first strum of the chord happens wherever the first chord symbol appears (usually the start of the first full measure), right?
Then what happens in the last measure?
Example:
Let's assume 4/4, with one quarter note pickup note. That would put 3 quarter notes in the last measure.
Normally, I see the first chord marked above the first note of the full measure.
Now, to the end of the piece. Does the rythm carry on to beat 4 in the final measure (after all, it started in a full measure), or does it stop with the last note (beat 3)?
Or is this one of those "it depends" things?
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
If I understand you correctly - this is how I think of it - the last and the first meassure is the same, it goes kinda in a circle.
For the chords - I wouldn't worry about that, perhaps there will be a Dominant7 in the first meassure, perhaps you start singing in the first meassure and kick in with the guitar in the second meassure etc.
LaRS
...only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on...
LARS kolberg http://www.facebook.com/sangerersomfolk
I wasn't thinking about which chord. I'm more interested (at the moment) in the timing.
Maybe I'm getting hung up over nothing - in the grand scheme of things how critical is the last 1/4 note in a piece.
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
As Larsko says - it's a circle. And both parts (melody and chords) must always stay together. At the repeat, if you jump back to SING the pick up note after three beats in the last measure - you can't keep strumming the last measure. You can't be in two different places at the same time. Both the voice and chords MUST go back to the pick up note AT THE SAME TIME. The only difference is that while the guitar was silent the first time you sang the pick up note - you can strum on it on the repeats (it's the missing fourth beat).
At the end of the piece, it doesn't matter. The timing of the pick up note is now irrelevant as you're not going back there. So you can end it as you like - strictly with three beats, or stretch it out for as long as you like, or fade out or even go out in a blaze of glory with repeated grand final chords as a lot of music does, from a Beethoven symphony to a rock classic such as The Who's 'Won't get fooled again.
If you play together with someone, and/or somebody is dancing that 1/4 is vital *between* each verse, but in the end... I think you will get a feeling that it should end at 1-2-3 or perhaps rather 1-2-3-4 | 1-2-3 - but then again you can draw a 'fermate' above it and end ad libitum: i.e. doesn't matter.
LaRS
...only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on...
LARS kolberg http://www.facebook.com/sangerersomfolk
Ah. In context of the possibility of a repeat, it makes a lot more sense.
I have been messing around with fairly simple exercises, not full songs.
Looking at "the big picture" clears some of the fog!
Thanks Fretsource and larsko.
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
