umm... I'm really confused on timing... the naming I mean. can somebody please help this poor guy maintain his sanity?
would I be correct to call the rhythm in fig. 1 an 8/4 rhythm? (since it has 8 quarter notes in it)
C
T|----------------|
S|----0-------0---|
F|----------------| Fig. 1
B|0-------0-0-----|
H x x x x x x x x
if the answer is yes, then is it ok to call fig. 2 a 4/2 rhythm? (same duration, only this time we have 4 half notes in it)
C
T|----------------|
S|----0-------0---|
F|----------------| Fig. 2
B|0-------0-0-----|
H x . x . x . x
is this 8/8? (8 one-eighth notes on hi-hat...)
C
T|--------|
S|----0---|
F|--------| Fig. 3
B|0-------|
H xxxxxxxx
4/4 in fig. 4, right? how is it different from fig. 3?
C
T|--------|
S|----0---|
F|--------| Fig. 4
B|0-------|
H x x x x
2/2? *unsure*
C
T|--------|
S|----0---|
F|--------| Fig. 5
B|0-------|
H x . x
now, fig. 5 had 2 half notes. in fig. 6 we're playing the exact same thing, only 4 times faster with 2 one-eighth notes. is this still considered 2/2 in a much quicker tempo, or is it considered to be a different rhythm pattern (2/8)?
C
T|--|
S|-0|
F|--| Fig. 6
B|0-|
H xx
now we move on to triple timings (or whatever it is called).
fig. 7 is in 12/4, right? or is it 6/8, 6/4 or 3/8?
C
T|------------------------|
S|------0-----------0-----|
F|------------------------| Fig. 7
B|0---------0-0---0-------|
H x x x x x x x x x x x x
what's the difference between fig. 8 and fig. 9? how do you name them?
C
T|------------|
S|----0-------|
F|------------| Fig. 8
B|0-------0---|
H x . x . x
C
T|------------|
S|----0-------|
F|------------| Fig. 9
B|0-------0---|
H x . . x
You're focusing on the number of notes per measure... that's really the last event in a chain.
First the composer decides which ones are the stong beats, and how many beats come between strong beats. That creates the meter, or rhythmic pattern.
Next the composer looks at how many notes the performer will need to play, and chooses a time signature that will make it simple to read. If there are thirty-second notes in 4/4, they'll be sixteenth notes in 4/8 (and therefore easier to read).
Notice that in either case there's still four beats in each measure - because beats are related to meters, not time signatures. Time signatures just represent meters. It's kind of like notes representing pitch - 4/4 can be four beats, and F# can be a pitch... or 4/8 can be the same four beats, and Gb can be the same pitch.
Now your examples...
1. No, it's 4/4. Snare has a back beat on 2 and 4, which is common; hi-hat does eighth notes, which is also common.
2. Yes. (I'm assuming figures 1 & 2 each really have four beat pulses).
3. No. Eight beats per bar doesn't really happen - it ends up sounding just like four beats to the ear. Every other beat will be slightly emphasized, so eight beats ends up sounding so close to four beats that it's impractical to read. If you really want a primary pulse every eighth beat, write it in 4/4 with an accent mark over the '1' beat in every other measure.
4. Yes. It's different from figure 3 because the hi-hat is playing more slowly.
5. Maybe. It's 4/4 if there are two other pulses (maybe played by the drums later on, or played by another instrument with drums tacet). If it's two pulses throughout, it's 2/2 - commonly written as alla breve (the C with a line through it, also called cut time)
6. If it's still two pulses, it's still a '2' time for the top number, but the bottom number doesn't change with the frequency of the notes. 2/2 would work, 2/8 won't - you'd have to have three more bar lines.
7. They're called compound meters. It's 12/4 if you're representing quarter notes, 12/8 if they're eighth notes. In compound times, the lower number is the note that gets one third of a beat.
If there are only two beats per measure (with the notes representing two triplets per beat) it could be in a '6' time signature - 6/8 if the notes used are sixteenth notes, 6/4 if the notes used are eighth notes.
It would never be a '3' time signature. '3's represent triple meter (waltz time), not a compound meter division - if you want a division of three triplets, the top number would be 9.
8-9. What I think you're trying to show is two different metric patterns, both in 3/4 (or some other triple meter like 3/8). The difference is in the bass drum part... in #8 the hi-hat plays on every beat, 1-2-3-1-2-3. In #9, the hi-hat is syncopated, coming right before the '3' beat of the bass drum. I think the pattern you're trying to show would go 1-&-2-&-3-& with the bold ones being the played notes.
Either way, it would be written in '3' time. In #8, you could represent the notes by quarter notes (3/4 time), eighth notes (3/8 time), half notes (3/2 time), sixteenth notes (3/16 time) etc. In #9, if I'm reading your pattern right, the hi-hat would be shown with two dotted notes of the same value - two dotted quarters in 3/4, etc.
By the way, drum tabs are practically useless. One big problem with guitar tabs is that they indicate pitch, but not duration... drums deal ONLY with duration (and dynamics, which is also missing from tab)!
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
thanks noteboat, I think now I know what I needed to. :D
