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Re: These are difficult times (signatures)

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-10-19 01:47

Well, I don't have a recommended exercise book, but I have given this a little thought over the years. The whole idea of the complex compound time signatures came of age with Stravinsky. The idea being to twist our prevailing sense of duple meter. What seems like a down beat becomes an upbeat within an instant. Tchaikovski and Brahms were able to do this within standard time signatures (1812 Overture; Variations on Theme by Haydn).

The "easy" solution is to surrender to the constant flow of eighth notes, then hear them in uneven groupings such as 3 and 2 in one measure (5/8), or 4 and 3 within one measure (7/8) etc. Of course the "emphasis" of those groups can (and often are) flipped to 2 and 3, or 3 and 4......determined by the conductor - how he beats the measure that is.

There is also notation that uses 16ths as the basic unit and you get 5/16, 7/16, etc. But just keep in mind the basic unit remains constantly beating unaltered.

..............Paul Aviles

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