How Advanced Time Signatures Work

[@arianepalaruan5208]

7 years later and this guy's music theory lessons are still the best in this platform

[@franciscomagalhaes7457]

9 years later can confirm.

[@LucasSavelli-e3w]

10 years later and I re-confirm @@franciscomagalhaes7457

[@gallo210389]

The whole "how rhythm works" series of videos was by far the best lesson I've seen about rhythm..

[@andileecarter]

Dude. Thank you for this! You literally changed my life tonight. I've been studying music and playing for YEARS and never heard it broken down so brilliantly!!

[@coolguy1672]

As an aspiring musician in college, thank you so much for doing these more advanced videos!

[@bluelover929]

wow, the two 7/8 time sigs you played were fantastic. I love really odd music (dissonant, minor key etc) and this has motivated me even more, I'd love to compose my own music at some point

[@fakecubed]

7/8 was always a favorite of mine, when I was still playing an instrument. There's some cool pieces in some weird times, if you go looking. There's obviously a ton of 4/4 music, but it gets boring after a while, and some of the weirder stuff can be a really nice change for both the performer and the listener. I think a lot of composers must get bored, too, and enjoy the challenge brought about by certain odd choices for rhythm or key. Anything to stimulate the creative impulse.

[@XxKnuckleSOverlorDxX]

Dude I've been trying to get my head around these time signatures for a long time and you just made it exceptionally easy! Thank you for your time, very straight forward.

[@SamanthaAshworth]

Fantastic example for the 15/16 time signature... at first I was thinking "who the heck would use that!?", but in context it makes a ton of sense.. also, Philip Glass is amazing.

[@MichaelNew]

+Samantha Ashworth Yeah I'm a big fan :)

[@getlost8027]

"Silent Lucidity" by Queensryche. The intro is 15/16.

[@SAZIZMUSIC]

Thanks for the amazing lesson series. I really learned a lot. Thank you very much. One request sir, Can you please take the example of a song and show us how to work out the beat, measure, time signature and really all the staff you talked about in this lesson series ? that would be very much helpful.

[@tinhphung5914]

It is 2023, I learn piano by myself at home, I've seen many lesson on youtube, but your lessons are so good, help me quick clear, i wish that i could see your lessons sooner, so thank you so much.

[@MrCinnamonWhale]

Thank you for being the only one on KZbin actually explaining this instead of giving examples. Especially since if that was what I wanted I could look up “Rock Star” in 17/16 lol

[@MyThetruth101]

I would just like to say, thank you so so much for making these videos. I've been a classical pianist for ten years now, and music theory has always been very unclear to me. But after watching hours of your videos, I feel I've learned a lot and am inspired to start composing some of my own piano pieces. You really have a gift for explaining difficult concepts, so thank you so much!! I and many other viewers really appreciate it!

[@yingbowang3068]

Hey Michael,I ve learned a bit piano when i was a kid,right now in mid-age, confuse about time signature for yrs, finally suddenly understand. i suppose it because your example quite intuitive,but your explain with a clear strong logic. Thanks for sharing,great tutorial

[@henk7591]

Don't know if you like this kind of music but "The Becoming" by Nine Inch Nails begins in a 13/8 time signature and changes to 6/8. Pretty cool! Great you do this man, I learn a lot from your videos!

[@robertbarker8358]

Mr. New, I really appreciate your work and the time and effort you've taken to produce them. It's been inredibly helpful to my "toe-dipping" into music theory. I hope to see more from you in the future. Thank you very much.

[@amediocrecatholic7398]

What a creative metaphor; dipping your toe onto the lake of music.

[@rudranshnagar6363]

Hey Michael! Just wanted to THANK YOU! Your videos have helped me a lot and I truly appreciate the work you do! Thank you!

[@x1PMac1x]

In a future video could you go over time signatures and rhythms that go with particular genres of music (i.e. ragtime, jazz, rock, etudes, sonatas, marches, blues, etc.)?

[@AdiHasArrived]

That's like expecting John Mayer to do metal

[@videos4mydad]

I really love your videos! Glad to see you back.

[@Booskop.]

7/8 is played as extended 6/8, as 8/8 cut short, or as is. Also, for easier counting, count to 7 like this: One, two, three, four, five, six, sev. (omit the -en from seven, this is easier when you go up to sixteenth notes.)

[@kk_7o7]

your series on music theory is just what i was looking for! thanks a ton!

[@biyancuh]

Thank you for this fantastic high-quality timeless content!

[@NoshuHyena]

I learned something today! I didn't know 7/8 and similar time signatures were counted like that!!

[@wahjmohamedkhair8018]

your lessons are simple but on point, every second is valuable and has deep insight, never stop, you are a great music teacher!

[@PuffPipes]

thank you so much for these videos. clarified in 1/2 hour of videos years worth of confusion...a lighthouse in the fog.

[@Jallenbah]

Just finished watching your "How Rythm Works" playlist and it's really good. I'm now going to go back and watch your entire "All my Music Lessons (in chronological order)" playlist. Thanks for the great teaching videos 👍

[@Jozzux]

Thank you so much for covering this whole time signature thing! You're an awesome teacher, it's so easy to learn when you're the one who's teaching!

[@MichaelNew]

Thank you! Feels good to have finally gotten through it all.

[@BarChordA]

I didn’t think I was going to care about this lesson, but I’m glad I watched it because it was awesome 👏

[@argonwheatbelly637]

The temple music "Roll on up, Jerusalem" from JCSS is 7/8. Beautiful example of it, too. Nice tension.

[@musiccoachmike3875]

Hey Michael, Thanks for taking the time to make these videos!! This helped out a lot.

[@thwninjascopez]

Yay!! So glad to see more vidz! And I actually didn't know there were so many ways to count those time sigs! Thanks for your lessons they're awesome, and I'm looking forward to more!! :)

[@djp1234]

You're a really good music teacher. You should do it full time.

[@architagrawalblues]

I have been counting it wrong throughout my life, Thanks for the lesson

[@Mastragat]

your videos are extremely helpful, thank you & keep up the great work!

[@robinbebbington7063]

This is great for me trying to work on guitar strumming as well. All really handy. Now to make some cheat sheets to remind myself of the beats and counting.

[@XuanNguyen-op4qs]

Thank you very much. I was struggling with this for so so long.

[@hessamgh7320]

Man you’re the best music teacher ever!

[@bigbadbrad1894]

Thanks for all your videos Michael! you are a very good teacher

[@laovernes]

I really love your videos. They are clear and concise, and at a perfect pace. Keep it up, and I'm looking forward to more videos on composition! :D

[@d4.2g]

I was really hoping for something on 5/4. Fave

[@fakecubed]

Yeah, same. I suppose for anyone watching this far into the series, 5/4 shouldn't be too hard to figure out, though.

[@mouradzwin5752]

Thank u so much. I'm really appreciated. I watched tens of videos, and this is the first time i grasp how rhythms are functioning.👍👍🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@gijs3000]

Thanks a lot for this, this really helped me out a lot in understanding even more complicated rythms of Avishai Cohen, with 9/16

[@MichaelKhaimraj]

Very informative. I count 15/16 a little differently naturally. I put the 3 16th notes at the end so it would kind of be like a measure of 3/4 with an extra 3 16ths. Something like (1, 2, 3, 1-2-3 1, 2, 3, 1-2-3) if that makes sense.

[@2Cerealbox]

7/8 is the Venetian Snares time signature!

[@bertpatroons]

Most of his songs are 7/4, actually :)

[@lisasexammusicoriginalcomp5861]

I love 7/8 never heard it played but I want to give it ago now

[@argonwheatbelly637]

Ever see "Jesus Christ Superstar"? Then you've heard 7/8. "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel. The theme to "Mission Impossible" is 5/4. I think I said 7/4 somewhere else, but it's clearly 5/4.

[@matthewstephens5937]

Argon Wheatbelly Money by Pink Floyd is in 7/4, probably the most famous example

[@theJazzbass27]

Great videos man, I have just seen 3 or 4 and they helped me so much. Your teaching is really good, keep it going! Philip Glass

[@HenrichAchberger]

in next video, can you pls focus on melodies and harmonies in MINOR scale a bit more? I would really appreciate it :) you have the best teaching style for sure, big ups!

[@akf2000]

*COMPOSES ENTIRE CONCEPT ALBUM IN 7/8*

[@nnekacummins5481]

This was very clear - thanks very much!

[@bonnieheat_on]

For the duplet, when counting, you could just say 'dup-let' the same way you would the 'tri-pe-let' :) Just as a side note, thank you for posting these videos. You've honestly helped me so much and I've only just found your channel! Where's the donate button?

[@MichaelNew]

+TheHeatON You could, and that's actually what I do when I'm playing in 6/8 and I run into a duplet. Glad to hear I've been helping :) I do have a patreon campaign as well as fan funding, both of which have links on my main channel page. Of course don't feel like you need to. Happy to help either way.

[@toddsquitieri8383]

This video is great. Thank you so much for contributing it. Is there any chance you can make a video about conducting these complicated beats? I like to sing and conducting helps me to learn a song. 4/4 is easy but 15/16? How do you conduct it? Curious!

[@MODARTIQUE]

Thank you so much :)! I'm actually learning ALOT from your videos !

[@Hajjmusic_]

Hey Michael! In the 6/8 example the second measure only had five 8ths. Can you explain further what happened in that measure?

[@jambertin54]

clear and easy, just started watching and I have subbed. Awesome vids, very easy to learn from you

[@RennyJackson]

Quality lesson, well done

[@johnakitto]

Another great video, Michael! The only question that really remains is this: Do time signatures like 2/4 and 2/2 (or 4/2 and 4/4 and 4/8) really just represent the same rhythm? It seems to me like they would. Tempo is independent of time signature, and both 2/4 and 2/2 are simple time and contain two beats per measure. Am I missing an important point that would differentiate these time signatures rhythmically?

[@MichaelNew]

Hey John, yes that's essentially correct. You would really just choose one over the others for practical reasons. For example you could have a time signature like 4/32 in stead of just 4/4, but that would be obnoxious for the performer. Whatever is simplest is generally the best choice.

[@quixotic7]

awesome, as always!

[@888paparoach]

This guy is so fucking awesome. Hope you are doing well ma dude!

[@shayb2089]

you deserve it bro. thank you!

[@tommyap1]

your videos are amazing man thankyou!

[@douglas9811]

you are the best

[@emanuelerusso5710]

thanks man, now I finally understood that

[@tuesdayfivepm9871]

Michael, what is the time signature on Philip Glass's song, "Dance V" in the album "Glassworks, Expanded Edition?" I can tell it changes two or three times but I don't know what the counting is. I want to understand the song better.

[@MichaelNew]

+Tuesday FivePM I think it's switching between 4/4 and 9/8. The 9/8 isn't the normal, compound-time 9/8 though; it's essentially just like 4/4 but with an extra eighth note on the last beat. So the basic beat grouping would be something like this: | xx xx xx xx | xx xx xx xxx|

[@tuesdayfivepm9871]

Thanks :)

[@franciscomagalhaes7457]

I bet you could teach quantum physics to a cucumber, jesus christ man, thanks for this series, it is absolutely invaluable.

[@sammadang]

You are the best , man !

[@hyderhydra3269]

do we get poly-time and counterpoint? were did you study whats your primary instrument?

[@MichaelNew]

+Hyder Hydra I certainly could do a video on polyrhythms and whatnot if people are interested.

[@rhythm_1]

How can u learn how recognize a cord or a notes when listing to a song. What ways wound u recommend in order to practice and improve playing music without looking at the instrument.

[@getlost8027]

My favorite subject

[@TheRoxas13th]

Can you post a video on how to effectively learn to sight read pieces? Please...

[@fakecubed]

Practice.

[@nuvaboy]

And I still can't decide whether "Tunnel Chase" by Marco Beltrami is 7/8 or 4/4+3/4...Great video on these time signature, btw ;)

[@rickajax]

The part that I think you are talking about: if you try to count in 4/4, you can say the 4 of every second measure, but then say the next one half a beat earlier, so 1+2+3+4+1+2+3+41+2+3+4+1+2+3+41. This would make it 15/16 I think.

[@QK97749]

so ive been trying to make sense of a lot of different time signatures. One the ways I found that kind of helps me is saying for example 4/4 time, instead of saying I need 4 quarter notes I try to think of it as I need the Equivalent of 4 quarter notes. I would I be correct in phrasing it like that?

[@getlost8027]

yes

[@noc_yt]

I'm making a piece that's briefly in 15/16 and each measure is split into three sets of one quarter note and two 32nd notes.

[@martinr7728]

+0816Egg isn't that 13/16

[@noc_yt]

Martin Roussev nope. the measure has a total of three quarter notes and six 32nd notes. Which would make 15 sixteenth notes.

[@martinr7728]

0816Egg you wrote two 32nd notes haha

[@noc_yt]

Martin Roussev No I wrote 3 SETS of 1 quarter note and two 32nd notes. adding up to three 32nd notes in each measure. Sorry I know the way I worded it made it a bit confusing.

[@martinr7728]

OH i get it haha :D good luck on the rest of your piece :P

[@bigdingus3489]

Have you went over quarter note triplets??

[@emirhankucuk7038]

Can someone explain where is the beats in 15/16? And how many?

[@zeynepakn3499]

Hey, Michael! İt's amazing how u explain all of these complicated stuff! İ got it very well. There is a real problem for me though. What if we want to play a 7/8 song with 170bpm? Where do we set the bpms beat? That would be wonderful if u can shoot a video to match the bpm and time signature! Thank you for all your help.

[@davidalen9279]

superb...great explanation...thank you sir

[@TonyRowbo]

you could also use a rest as a beat as well also right?

[@MichaelNew]

+Tony Romano Definitely.

[@HelmutNevermore]

Aren't duplets the same as dotted notes?

[@lkbaikal]

Really great!

[@evgeny1583]

Now... off to Adam Neely's 7/11 beats.

[@jace_Henderson]

I don’t understand why it breaks them into different beats. So what, would 6 eighth notes be played 3 notes per beat then?

[@wahjmohamedkhair8018]

I have one question: I didn't understand how you can play the notes you explained at the end with one hand? the one that had a rest on top and half dotted note on the bottom

[@fakecubed]

It's for instruments like the piano where you can play more than one note at a time (and if need be, use two hands to do it).

[@ild4099]

I always count 7/8 as | one two three one two one two | one two three one two one two

[@marcparella]

For duplets as 12:14 try: 1 and a 2 and | 1 and a 2 and |

[@zombieman395]

what would 24/16 be?

[@fakecubed]

@@zombieman395 Pretty sure no one would ever write the time as that, they'd just write 12/8.

[@derknizotts9162]

I paused this, so you might answer it before the video is done, but question. Why in a 4/4 structure, assuming the notation matches the beat structure = 4 qtr notes, does each beat have the same "weight" whereas in your 7/8 structure, the 1st and 4th eighth notes get the emphasis???

[@MichaelNew]

Derk Nizotts Well, keep in mind that in 7/8, you don't have 7 beats, you have 3 (usually). So when you're accenting the 1st and 4th eighth notes, you're just accenting the beat (the same way you'd accent the 4 beats in 4/4). The video I did on 6/8 goes over that in detail, so if you're still confused that might be a good one to watch: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZ7bk4mbqt58jMU

[@koraksarkar]

So depending on the type of grouping is a 7/8 a triple time or duple time? Or none of these?

[@regiomartins]

As a drum student, I've always been able to play odd-time signatures. Not intentionally, though...

[@pubudu313]

Small suggestion michael, Use a drum beat also, which will be a successor for this type of lesson to give a quick insight to it.

[@Caradaoutradimensao]

thanks a lot mate

[@rowbocaster]

7/8 ah "Money" Pink Floyd! Now the eighth notes break down to the primary accent on one and the secondary accent on five. ONE two three four FIVE six seven eight.

[@lilvana4729]

thank you!!

[@ChronusZed]

Could 15/16 time also just contain 5 dotted eighth notes?

[@MichaelNew]

Yep, definitely could. I don't think I've ever seen something like that, but theoretically it would work.

[@ZeeboonInc]

Is it possible to have odd time signatures like 4/7 or 6/5? I don't think I've heard of those.

[@getlost8027]

Technically, yes, but consider how you would have to write that. . How would you get a seventh note or a fifth note? We don't have good symbols for things like that like we do eighth and quarter notes, but we do have a solution. You are probably familiar with triplets; you can do the same thing with numbers other than 3. If you divide a whole note into 7 equal parts, you'll have a septuplet. With 4/7, you'd have 4 septuplet notes in a measure, just like 4/4 is four quarter notes to a measure. And so if you write your song only in septuplets, you can make measures of four of them and have your 4/7. It looks like a fun exercise on your sheet music, but you couldn't give it to someone else and ask him to play it. Try to wrap your head around the idea of subdividing your whole note into 7 parts, and then never ever using a real whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, etc, in the piece. There is no point. What you have is 4 beats of something that is played slightly slower than an 8th note, but it's a lot harder to read. The convention, then, is adjust your tempo downwards a notch, and write those 7th notes as 8th notes and your meter as 4/8.

[@Archimatic-mexaa]

So you can basically use any note you want in any time signature as long as it meets the beats required?

[@fakecubed]

Yes, but there's a natural rhythm to the different time signatures and if you play your notes in weird places it will seem jarring, unless you keep your particular rhythm consistent measure-to-measure. Changing things from what's expected is surprising and has an emotional impact on the listener, but if you don't establish a pattern first, and keep changing constantly, it just feels like a jumbled mess of notes.

[@DIGIDIGI1971]

complex stuff but explained well.

[@pallavisreetambraparni6995]

very useful

[@nintendude794]

Dya mind adding this to your playlist How Rhythm Works? I share your playlists to anybody who's interested in learning music theory. :)

[@MichaelNew]

Hunter Short Yep, sorry about that. Meant to do that a while ago. And thanks for sharing :)

[@ArtificialDjDAGX]

what's so special about the ((7/13) or (13/7)) time signature?

[@darwinlp9860]

Uhhhh can you even divide a note into 7 or 13? That would be pretty difficult for the musician to attempt, I would think (for the bottom number). For the one on top, marking the number of notes... it's not unheard of, though it is unusual to see such irregular numbers, being irregular for not being dividable by 2 or 3.

[@Accoy2]

Thank you. Very well explained. Good job. :-)

[@eternalray8194]

Instantly subbed your vid lov the knowledge you putout

[@boughtbybloodhxc]

Example of a 15/16 time signature: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHjZf6yeaMmUb5Y

[@chinamanandfriends]

Hi Mike! You look like Tom Welling from Smallville. Anyway thanks for your videos man.