This might be a beginner question, but I figured it fits under theory...
I've read over Dave Hodges intro to the blues "Before You Accuse Me", and what I understood is that normally it's in 4/4 time, but each beat is divided into triplets. And then, just for ease of printing/writing, it's assumed that a pair of eighth notes is actually a set of triplets with two of them tied together, to give the long-short shuffle feeling.
Well, I bought a book and it's got some blues songs, and at the top of the sheet music it still says that two eighth notes equals a set of triplets, but then the song is written in 12/8 time. And there's never any pairs of eighth notes, it's always 4 sets of 3 eighth notes per bar.
So should I ignore the 2 eighth notes = a triplet comment at the top, and just treat each set of three eighth notes in 12/8 time as I would a triplet in 4/4 time?
Thanks,
Tyler
It's kind of complex, but 4/4 in 'swing' time is the same as 12/8 in 'straight' time.
As beginners we're taught that the upper number in a time signature is the number of beats per measure, and that holds true for simple time signatures like 4/4, 3/4, and 2/4. In fact, these are called 'simple time' - when the top number equals one beat.
When you get into stuff that's written in triplets, and played at faster tempos, it's easier to count every third beat. In a fast tempo 6/8, instead of counting 1-2-3-4-5-6, you're counting 1-2-1-2, with the eighth notes played as triplets to your count. That makes the unit of a beat a dotted quarter note - the eighth notes are divisions of the beat into three parts. These are called 'compound time' signatures... the top number is always 6 or more, and divisible by three.
So you can write a piece in 4/4 with a triplet feel (3 eighth notes to the beat) or you can write it in 12/8 straight time (four beats, three eighth notes to the beat) and it'll sound the same.
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Note Boat I heard you mention "Compound Time" in the add9 thread and meant to ask about it. Seems I won't have to now.
Thanx
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