Music Theory Thread

[Kalahari Inkantation]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND8bWqZY7bU

...What time signature is this?

[Mando Pandango]

Time signatures aren't real

[Samus Aran]

https://musescore.com/user/3037246/scores/1405411

[Mando Pandango]

https://musescore.com/user/3037246/scores/1405411

technically correct but unnecessarily hard to read IMO. why are all the notes beamed together? break em up. come on guys

[Kalahari Inkantation]

https://musescore.com/user/3037246/scores/1405411

yeah this doesn't help me at all lol

That script is completely unintelligible.

[Mando Pandango]

If you can't read music, why ask for time signatures? Time signatures are purely a notational tool.

[Kalahari Inkantation]

If you can't read music, why ask for time signatures?

well because i can still hear time signature lol, and i like to know what the pattern i'm listening to is so i can more easily follow along

But Navi's intro theme sounds very complicated and I can't figure out what its time signature is.

[Kalahari Inkantation]

what about this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKCgKPTnpiE

Is this a waltz?

[Mando Pandango]

well because i can still hear time signature lol

you think you do, but you don't

LESSON TIME

What's the difference between a TIME SIGNATURE and a METER?

Meter is the pattern of beats that you hear and feel in a piece of music. Time signature is the written representation of those beats. Most of the time, the distinction doesn't really matter. If a piece of music is in 4/4, that's almost always going to be 4 simple, even beats in a measure. It's probably representing something that I would say is "in 4." 4 being the meter, not 4/4, because I'm hearing those 4 beats repeating over and over.

Now let's go to something like THIS. The feel is much more complex, as I'm sure you've noticed. The score Kaz linked shows the first main part being in 13/8. Obviously, we're not feeling 13 beats here. In fact, I'm feeling this part in 4 as well, with 3 notes to each beat and then an added note (a rest - silence) to the last beat. So while the time signature is 13/8, the meter is 4.

Note: most people I talk to never realize this or are taught this properly, and will just say it's "in 13," which is still more or less right. There are 13 8th notes to each measure, and you can count them all out, but I think anyone actually playing it will feel it in 4, with uneven subdivisions throughout.

ONE-two-three-ONE-two-three-ONE-two-three-ONE-two-three-four, repeat

And then the next section is even groups of 5. Much simpler. ONE-two-three-four-five-ONE-two-three-four-five. Hippopotamus-hippopotamus etc

now u kno

[Mando Pandango]

what about this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKCgKPTnpiE

Is this a waltz?

Arguably, but this would be quite fast for a waltz.

[Mando Pandango]

Actually, Kakariko Village is a great example for my point about time signature vs. meter. I feel it, and I think most people would agree with me, as a two-beat feel with three subdivisions per beat. ONE-two-three-ONE-two-three, repeat. You can hear that in the accompanying part beneath the melody, where the notes go up and down. This would be notated as 6/8, since it's six 8th notes to a measure, with three 8th notes per beat. Notice it's not felt in 6, nor is it 3/4, it's 6/8.

A certain amount of this is opinion, but the simpler the music the easier it generally is to agree upon.

[Kalahari Inkantation]

Perfect answers. Thank you kindly Popsi-Sue.

now i have even more questions, which i’ll revisit after homework lolol

[Mando Pandango]

There's a lot out there to learn man

[Kalahari Inkantation]

> https://boyah.net/forums2/index.php/topic,75484.msg1603855.html#msg1603855 >>

BlOODYy_i',

_Yy^⅋N_,^GK'SRz.