Complex time signatures?

Maybe a straight 7/4 may not impress you ... how about a piece where two musicians are playing according to two different time signatures and only overlap occasionally ... like one guy in 13/8 another in 5/8 but occasionally the patterns come together

I must say I once wrote a largely instrumental piece multi-time signature piece so difficult for the band to play that the lyrics were written in recognition of the chaos of the piece! ... we only got it right 1/3 of the time despite playing it on and off for 4 years!

chopper wrote: but try drumming along with Genesis' "Apocalypse in 9/8" without counting - not so easy.

I can do that!

Indifferent.

I think there's a lot more to a piece of music than whether it's 3/4, 4/4, 5/8, 7/8, 9/8, 11/8, etc...
If fact it's time sig should be one of the the last thing's to consider when listening to a piece.
By that I mean fairly transparent.



 

Sometimes you're not particularly aware that a song is not in a standard 4/4 time sig. Sometimes it can be tricky. It may be easy peasy to you, but try drumming along with Genesis' "Apocalypse in 9/8" without counting - not so easy.

My (varied) musical experience has tought me that even amateur musicians don't have to stretch themselves to much in order to compose, arrange & perform music in complex time signatures: 5/8, 7/8, 9/8, 11/8, etc....

So what is all the fuss about them? Time signatures are meaningless!! Some music in 9/8 is easy to play & at the same time some music in 4/4 is almost impossible to play.

And don't talk to me about shifting from 3/8 to 7/4 half way though a bar, or having a 4/4 guitar line playing against a 5/8 rhythm, with an 11/4 piano in the background!! Cause it's all lemon squeazy to me!!

Edited by Ipacial Section