The most weird time signatures you've heard

JackMagic

I like Dave Brubeck myself

He's got tunes in 5/4, 7/4, 11/4, 9/8,
Some tunes have 3/4 going against 4/4 etc.


anyone have any weird ones?

Thomas_S_Hunterson

The Crunge by Led Zeppelin has a pretty crazy assortment of time signatures.

Bodysmart

Anything by Frank Zappa! :cool:

Rigsby

The Belgian band "Aka Moon" can come up with unusual time signatures now and then.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkLucK2OyT4&feature=PlayList&p=C6DA9552F2DD6670&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6

stevejazzx

metheny 45/8

http://www.ilike.com/artist/Pat+Metheny/track/45%252F8

Oink

stevejazzx wrote: »

metheny 45/8

http://www.ilike.com/artist/Pat+Metheny/track/45%252F8

Huh? 45/8 ? what kind of animal is that, and is it even legal? :-)

TheBandit

Rigsby wrote: »

The Belgian band "Aka Moon" can come up with unusual time signatures now and then.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkLucK2OyT4&feature=PlayList&p=C6DA9552F2DD6670&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6

Cheers for putting this up. I heard these a while ago on jk ensemble and could never find them again.

As for strange time signatures..... i know its not jazz/blues but its worth putting up just because of its weird time signature. bulgarian dances by Bartok.... I've no idea what's going on with the time signatures...they confuse me

Desmo

TheBandit wrote: »

Cheers for putting this up. I heard these a while ago on jk ensemble and could never find them again.

As for strange time signatures..... i know its not jazz/blues but its worth putting up just because of its weird time signature. bulgarian dances by Bartok.... I've no idea what's going on with the time signatures...they confuse me

aaargh; I just realised how bad I was when I tried to count that/those;
Without a bass and drums, I am lost. That sounds very hard :-)

For what it is worth, one common rhythmic device in eastern european folk music is to use 9/8. I know the temptation is to count that as a kind of 3 time but what it ends up sounding like is some kind of 4 time with one half beat too many per bar. The effect is very interesting and keeps you on your toes (literally if you try dancing to it).

Desmo

Desmo wrote: »

aaargh; I just realised how bad I was when I tried to count that/those;
Without a bass and drums, I am lost. That sounds very hard :-)

For what it is worth, one common rhythmic device in eastern european folk music is to use 9/8. I know the temptation is to count that as a kind of 3 time but what it ends up sounding like is some kind of 4 time with one half beat too many per bar. The effect is very interesting and keeps you on your toes (literally if you try dancing to it).

The above can be counted like
one and two and three and four and ah
which creates a funny effect but that is hardly the start of the complications which I discovered from a look at the wiki page for Bulgarian Folk Music (quoted below). How the hell are you supposed to tap your foot?

"One of the most distinctive features of Balkan folk dance music is the complexity of its rhythms in comparison to Western music. Although it uses Western meters such as 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4, Balkan music also includes meters with 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 beats per measure, sometimes referred to as "asymmetric meters". These can often be understood as combinations of groups of "quick" and "slow" beats. For example, the dance lesnoto ("the light/easy one") has a meter of 7 beats with emphasis on the first, fourth, and sixth beats. This can be divided into three groups, a "slow" unit of 3 beats and two "quick" units of 2 beats, often written 3-2-2.

Each basic folk dance type use a distinct combination of these rhythmic "units". Some examples are rachenitsa (7 beats divided: 2-2-3), paidushko horo (5 beats: 2-3), eleno mome (7 beats: 2-2-1-2), kopanitsa (11 beats: 2-2-3-2-2), and Bucimis (15 beats: 2-2-2-2-3-2-2), and pravo horo, which can either be standard 4/4 or 6/8. Some rhythms with the same number of beats can be divided in different ways: for example, 8-beat rhythms can be divided 2-3-3, 3-2-3, 3-3-2, 2-2-2-2, 2-2-4, 2-4-2, 4-2-2, or even 4-4. It should be emphasized that this terminology is a crude simplification and is not used by Balkan musicians; it does not capture the full subtlety of Balkan rhythms."

TheBandit

I just got the sheet music there to see what is written down because i'm still finding it hard to get my head around the timing.

1st is 4 /8 + 2/8 + 3 /8

2nd is 2/8 +2/8 +3/8

3rd is 5/8

4th is 3/8 +2/8 +3/8

5th is 2/8 +2/8 +2/8 +2/8 +3/8

6th is 3/8 +3/8 +2/8

even counting along with the sheet music i lose count and can't make it all the way through

postdarwin

Victor Wooten and The Flecktones. See the comments for discussion on time sig. Prob 4/4+3/4+3/8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUMGSr3b67g

funky penguin

Cliché I know, but Rite of Spring. Just try sight clapping the Danse Sacrale!

Magic Eight Ball

Oink wrote: »

Huh? 45/8 ? what kind of animal is that, and is it even legal? :-)

45/8??!! That gives me a headache just thinking about it. :eek:

shatners basoon

TheBandit wrote: »

Cheers for putting this up. I heard these a while ago on jk ensemble and could never find them again.

As for strange time signatures..... i know its not jazz/blues but its worth putting up just because of its weird time signature. bulgarian dances by Bartok.... I've no idea what's going on with the time signatures...they confuse me

That stuff is really excellent, thanks for putting it up!
Pretty mad time signatures alright!

Nik Bartsch's stuff uses a lot of odd meters, usually where each player is playing in a different time.

Joshua Redman's Courage from the album beyond is a really nice 13/8.

Will think of others later.

TheBandit

shatners basoon If you liked the Bartok piece, give this one a listen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9B4QK4gVps

shatners basoon wrote: »

Nik Bartsch's stuff uses a lot of odd meters, usually where each player is playing in a different time.
.

I have his album Holon and really like it. It has a sort of hypnotic quality about it...where you can zone out and just listen to the little changes in it. it reminds me of a bit steve reich at times.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU23LqQ6LY4

While on the subject of time signatures and steve reich i may as well mention phasing for anyone who hasn't heard of it....basicly one riff is repeated over and over then joined by an identical riff. The second riff then speeds up for some crazy sounding results.I was amazed the first time i heard this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW4_8KjmzZk

funky penguin

I've heard that Reich piece being played by one person!!!!! :eek:

TheBandit

funky penguin wrote: »

I've heard that Reich piece being played by one person!!!!! :eek:

i heard he was committed to an insane asylum straight after the performance

funky penguin

He'd want to be...what kind of mind inflicts that on itself?!?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKXy1FPTdvg

Not the proper one I'm thinking of, but impressive nonetheless!

TheBandit

:eek: ....dear god almighty

shatners basoon

TheBandit wrote: »

shatners basoon If you liked the Bartok piece, give this one a listen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9B4QK4gVps

Loved it, definitely gonna try and get an album of his sonatas. I've experienced scant exposure to classical music and generally feel a bit lost in terms of what to look for so i appreciate the recommendation.

I have his album Holon and really like it. It has a sort of hypnotic quality about it...where you can zone out and just listen to the little changes in it. it reminds me of a bit steve reich at times.....

Holon is great alright, it definitely does have a sort of meditative feel to it. Bartsch is a bit of a spiritual fanatic apparently, his writings on his own music are a bit out there. I think he describes his material as "zen funk"!
His albums Aer and Stoa are both well worth checking out if you like Holon. Its pretty much the exact same type of thing albeit possibly a little less refined.

While on the subject of time signatures and steve reich i may as well mention phasing for anyone who hasn't heard of it....basicly one riff is repeated over and over then joined by an identical riff. The second riff then speeds up for some crazy sounding results.I was amazed the first time i heard this

Reich used tape loops to create the phasing effect didn't he? Its pretty mad to see a live performance of it. Heh, the facial expressions on that solo performance are priceless. The level on concentration involved must be hemorrhage inducing!

Speaking of people playing in different time together, this has to be one of my favourites. I love the combination of Reid's rhythm in 5/4 with Iverson's quarter note arpeggios and Dave King's eh... madness Then there's the ulitmate prog jazz finale!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1Tu6TExobA

Desmo

Great thread and great posts boys and girls.
Here is a weird one.
Bulgarian wedding played by a famous Bulgarian/Turkish/Roma bloke
http://www.nme.com/artists/ivo-papasov
with insane tempos and god knows what time signature (I cannot tap my foot that fast).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptvvf3_bS3k&feature=related

Desmo

Lionel Loueke doing impossible things with voice and guitar;
time signatures anyone? You can see the metre in the comments but again, I am lost. My foot does 4.1/4 on a good day and 3.9/4 on a bad one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXzgWTZ2NW0

CrazyTalk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjzqf2Diw0s

This sounds pretty complex to me. It details the time signature on the right side.