How can u tell what measure you're in?

[Andrei]

As in 4/4 , 3/4 etc...

I keep coming up with melodies and i can't tell what measure they're in...

I know i should count, and i do, but it doesn't fit...

[stew]

I bet yours are all 4/4.

99% of the music that we hear is 4/4 and we're competely used to it. Unless you're listening a lot to music that makes use of other measures, I'm sure the majority of your ideas are 4/4.

To test things out, hum/play/sing them and record it. Play it in a loop, tap your finger to it and count - counting and playing at the same time takes a little practice, so it might be easier when you separate the two.

[chrysalis33rpm]

But when you have something that you know is not 4/4, how do you figure out what it is? I've tapped, hummed danced and tweedled, all while counting and chewing gum. What does the second '4' in '4/4' stand for anyway?

I've read the Wikepedia entry:

the upper number indicates how many beats there are in a bar;
the lower number indicates the note value which represents one beat (the "beat unit")

But I don't get it. I feel like a dumb DJ.

[hacktheplanet]

This is basic theory stuff! The second number denotes which type of note gets one beat for the value of the first number. 4 is a quarter note, 8 is an 8th note, 16 is a 16th note, etc.

4/4: 4 beats to a measure, quarter note gets one beat.
oonsa oonsa oonsa oonsa
1..2..3..1..2..3..4..

3/4: 4 beats to a measure, quarter note gets one beat.
oom pa pa oom pa pa oom pa pa oom pa pa
1..2..3..1..2..3..

6/8: 6 beats to a measure, eighth note gets one beat (pretty much double 3/4, but there are other reasons to use 6/8)
doo doo ba doo doo ba doo doo ba doo doo ba
1..2..3..4..5..6..1..2..3..4..5..6...

How can you tell what time signature a song is in? Learn to count, buddy. Here are some examples and a lot more information: http://blog.pandora.com/archives/podcas ... e_sig.html

[stew]

Well, for one, it's not necessarily something you figure out but something you decide. After all, you're writing the song and you can use any measure you want. In fact, you can still change it - Bob Dylan recorded a 3/4 demo of "Like a Rolling Stone", later he always played it in 4/4.

Here's maybe some better info than Wikipedia:
http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/6measures.html
http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/13ts.html

Oh, rule of thumb: Are you making electronic dance music? 4/4 is chisled in stone. Unless you're that good and can pull off a 5/4 house track, but in that case you wouldn't have to ask.

[hacktheplanet]

Oh, rule of thumb: Are you making electronic dance music? 4/4 is chisled in stone. Unless you're that good and can pull off a 5/4 house track, but in that case you wouldn't have to ask.

Or start spinning the electro with the really heavy swing that might as well be 6/8

[nathannn]

some one seriously needs to make a program that can tell you the time signature of a track..
i just cant get this either.. no matter what song i listen to i still can count 1.2.3.4 1.2.3.4 1.2.3.4 1.2.3.splash 1.2.3.4 1.2.3. drum roll
1.2.3.4 1.2.3.4 1.2.3. crash crash crash.
and even if they dont do a crash splash or drum roll i know it still would fit into the song.

[Lo-Fi Massahkah]

some one seriously needs to make a program that can tell you the time signature of a track..
i just cant get this either.. no matter what song i listen to i still can count 1.2.3.4 1.2.3.4 1.2.3.4 1.2.3.splash 1.2.3.4 1.2.3. drum roll
1.2.3.4 1.2.3.4 1.2.3. crash crash crash.
and even if they dont do a crash splash or drum roll i know it still would fit into the song.

Either you just listen to basic 4 to the floor techno, house or whatever. This might very well be the case - what the hell do I know? I could count to 17 in any song or 3 or 42. But it wouldn't line up with the downbeats on every bar.

Learn to listen for the downbeats. Then listen to the divisions in between. Then you're on your way...

-M

[jamester]

6/8: 6 beats to a measure, eighth note gets one beat (pretty much double 3/4, but there are other reasons to use 6/8 )
doo doo ba doo doo ba doo doo ba doo doo ba
1..2..3..4..5..6..1..2..3..4..5..6...

This is a common misconception, but 6/8 along with 9/8 and 12/8 are Compund Meter, which means the pulse is divided into even groups of three (like what we call a "triplet" in Simple Meter).

The rules are different between Simple and Compound Meters; in simple Meter, the top number is the number of beats, the bottom number is a symbol for which note value gets "the beat". In Compound Meter, the top number is actually divided by three in order to figure the beats-per-measure, therefore 6/8 has two downbeats per measure, not six. The beats are grouped like "triplets" (though they are not called that in compound Meter), so you get ONE two three, FOUR five six. The beats are on ONE and FOUR.

This is why 12/8 is a common time sig used for blues and shuffles, because it feels much like 4/4 since there's four downbeats per measure (twelve divided by three).

Oh BTW what you describe in the quote above is actually 6/4, the way you would have six even beats per measure. Like you said, like 3/4 doubled...

[Lo-Fi Massahkah]

This is a common misconception, but 6/8 along with 9/8 and 12/8 are Compund Meter, which means the pulse is divided into even groups of three (like what we call a "triplet" in Simple Meter).

The rules are different between Simple and Compound Meters; in simple Meter, the top number is the number of beats, the bottom number is a symbol for which note value gets "the beat". In Compound Meter, the top number is actually divided by three in order to figure the beats-per-measure, therefore 6/8 has two downbeats per measure, not six. The beats are grouped like "triplets" (though they are not called that in compound Meter), so you get ONE two three, FOUR five six. The beats are on ONE and FOUR.

This is why 12/8 is a common time sig used for blues and shuffles, because it feels much like 4/4 since there's four downbeats per measure (twelve divided by three).

Oh BTW what you describe in the quote above is actually 6/4, the way you would have six even beats per measure. Like you said, like 3/4 doubled...

Clear as crystal. Thanks.

[Lovin Teris]

When my uncle got married he had decided to use a song in 4/4 as waltz. He said he could just count one, two, three-ee.

It looked quite funny.

[Moody]

Also, not sure what you mean by melodies but, the meter of a song can be applied differently on some instruments as well.

[Lo-Fi Massahkah]

When my uncle got married he had decided to use a song in 4/4 as waltz. He said he could just count one, two, three-ee.

It looked quite funny.

Ha!

[chrysalis33rpm]

Thanks I appreciate all of your advice. I am going to get this, I promise. It feels right on the tip of my tongue.

[arkoenig]

But when you have something that you know is not 4/4, how do you figure out what it is?

Can you put a clip (audio or MIDI) somewhere so that we can listen to it?