Most Complex Time Signature ever!?

Oh yeah, Dream Theater's amazing instrumental The Dance Of Eternity, has a lot of unusual time signatures, read:

In order, each entry written once: 4/4, 7/8, 3/4, 13/16, 15/16, 17/16, 14/16, 5/4, 6/8, 2/4, 5/8, 11/4, 9/4, 7/16, 6/16, 5/16, 10/16, 9/8, 15/8, 12/16, 16/16 (3+3+3+3+2+2), 3/8.

Incredible!!

"In order, each entry written once: 4/4, 7/8, 3/4, 13/16, 15/16, 17/16, 14/16, 5/4, 6/8, 2/4, 5/8, 11/4, 9/4, 7/16, 6/16, 5/16, 10/16, 9/8, 15/8, 12/16, 16/16 (3+3+3+3+2+2), 3/8."

Not really incredible, just incorrect. According the The Harvard Dictionary of Music a time signature is: "The pattern in which a steady succession of rhythmic pulses is organized", and it is "characterized by the regular recurrence of such patterns.

The DT example given has no recurring beat groupings. The only possible way to justify these types of time sigs is with recurring beat grouping patterns. The Apocalypse in 9/8 is a good example, being a recurring grouping of 3+2+4/8, although, 9/8 is still technically incorrect. A true 9/8 is a triple meter with the beats grouped in threes (again, according to the Harvard). The correct name should have been The Apocalypse in 3+2+4/8, though it doesn't sound as "snappy".

In a piece like the DT example THERE IS NO METER; there is only a pulse, so there can be no time signature. In this case probably an 8th note pulse.

One of Paul Hindemith's String quartets from the 1940s is written in this same manner, but without the ever changing time signatures (he knew better). hindemith simply designates that the 8th note should be counted at 60 Beats per minute. The music has bar lines (though some composers don't even use them), but no time signature.   That is the way the DT piece should be written if its written out at all. There can be no true meter or time signature where there is no repetition.

If you all are determined to ignore the truth in this matter of time signatures please let me know and I'll leave off pointing this stuff out and just let you go to town with your foolishness. I thought you might want to know how it really is in actual musucal terms, but I might be mistaken.
    

Edited by Trademark - December 02 2006 at 00:53

Meshuggah - I:

• Intro includes 7/8, 3/8, 5/8, 2/8 and one bar of 9/8
• Then it's 4/4 with single bars of 3/4 and 2/4 thrown in

That seems to be it.
It's played with an incredible speed, that'a what makes it sound complex, i guess.

(i didn't read them myself )

Abstrakt wrote: Meshuggah - I: Intro includes 7/8, 3/8, 5/8, 2/8 and one bar of 9/8 Then it's 4/4 with single bars of 3/4 and 2/4 thrown in That seems to be it.

Bj-1 wrote: Abstrakt wrote: Meshuggah - I: Intro includes 7/8, 3/8, 5/8, 2/8 and one bar of 9/8 Then it's 4/4 with single bars of 3/4 and 2/4 thrown in That seems to be it.     It can't be.

Okay, it can be seen as 14/16 9 times, 6/16 3 times... etc.
If that sounds more complex...

Bj-1 wrote: Abstrakt wrote: Meshuggah - I: Intro includes 7/8, 3/8, 5/8, 2/8 and one bar of 9/8 Then it's 4/4 with single bars of 3/4 and 2/4 thrown in That seems to be it.     It can't be.

I was reading it from the Guitar Pro Tab.
The person who made the tab probably heard it like 4/4, since that's what Haake plays with his hands (mostly)

Yes, Apocalypse in 9/8 is not as complex as a lot of us like to think.  Not to mention it has the most pretentious title ever.  Why list the time signature just to look complicated?

Or you can just say "Apocalypse" and let everyone figure out the time signature by themselves.

Edited by A B Negative - May 30 2008 at 15:38

9/16+9/16+2/16+7/16+5/16 = 32/16 = 2 Measures in 16/16 (8/8 (4/4))