Thanks a ton! I always knew how to play 7/8 but never really understood what I was playing because I jam to so much music I just end up listening and replaying what I heard instead of fully understanding what I was playing. Cheers!
time signature: top number is how many beats per measure, bottom number is what note division counts as the beat. 7 beats in a measure where the 8th note counts as the beat.
I watched the video and mostly understood, then I went to my practice pad and still couldn't quite grasp it, then I re-watched the video, and now........ well... let's just say...... Mind = Blown Thank's Jared!! You're an incredible teacher!!
In my opinion the best way to count, and also the most interesting and best sounding patterns come up if you think, is in measures of 2s and 3s, like: 1-2 1-2 1-2-3, or reversed like 1-2-3 1-2 1-2. These rythms were first written down by composer from Balkan since these are Macedonian folk rythms (7/8 9/8 11/8). This is just how they make sense the most.
8th notes are twice as fast as 4th notes, so 7/8 lasts the half of 7/4. If you want to write 7/8 with 4th notes it would be 3.5/4, which is harder to understand, thats why sometimes people write 8th/16th notes in the denominator.
Because the ways sheet music is built. It's called 7/8 because there are 7 8th notes in one bar. In that bar it would also fit 14 16th notes. In this case it's more clear that there is two 16th notes subtracted from a full bar. There is a difference between an 8th note and the 8th note of a 8/8 time signature. The first is a note that is an 8th of the length of a whole note, which are a whole bar of 4/4, 8/8, 16/16 and so forth. The second merely the last note in a bar of 8/8.
Try 11/8 and 13/8 as well. Patterns like 3+3+3+2 and 3+3+3+2+2 or any other variations of 7+6 sound amazing. Other time signatures have some really great combinations but those are the best (along with 7/8) in my opinion. To me 4/4 is way overused in music, knowing what else can be done.
You can also count as "one-two-three one-two one-two". Great drummer from Macedonia named Garabet Tavitjan introduced 7/8 to a whole generation of drummers in the former Yugoslavia in the early '80s.
Another way of putting it is that the base note (the number eight in 7/8) always tell where the pulse is. If you fiddle around with a metronome and first set it to 7/4 and then 7/8, the metronome will tick twice the speed compared to the 7/4 signature. There are no 7th notes, because it is impractical and fairly hard to accurately divide a whole note into seven pieces. The note system is built on the half note being double the tempo from the whole note and so on.
Great video, I followed along tapping on the desk. I'm self taught and this is my first time exploring anything other than 4/4 and 3/4 (in my own playing), but I've listened to a lot of CHON, Covet and the like, and this 7/8 has so much tension to it, yet it feels comfortably predictable and fun to play. I can't fully describe it but I love it.
7/4 means that there is 7 quarter notes per measure. 4 stands for quarter notes. 7/8 means that there is 7 eighth notes per measure. 8 stands for the eighth notes. I hope this makes more sense to everyone.
ok, so I'm a major music nerd and i had to check in about this... it peaked my curiosity. you're right, there are 3 and a half quarters when playing in 7/8, so he's playing eighth notes... when in _/8 the 8th counts as the beat, the long and short of it is for ease of notation and to indicate the general feel/tempo of the piece. but if he were to double the notes he would be playing 16ths. very strange but, likesay it's all so reading/writing the sheet music is easier on performer/composer.
7/8 is ancient macedonian rythm, it goes 1231212, there is a folk dance also, and on top of that there is a jazz fusion band from north macedonia called vlatko stefanovski trio, where my favourite drummer plays :)
@SputniksArmy he could be playing it at 80bpm and hitting the hi hat on each click and it could be in 7/16. Yes technically he could be playing it in 7/4 but hes interpreting each click as an 8th note, thats what time sigs are all about-- interpretation.
He explains at the beginning. The bottom tells you what note you will use when you count the beats. A whole note=4, 1/2=2beats, 1/4=1beat etc. So in 7/8, rather than using 1/4 notes as your base, you use 8th notes. Its a bit hard to explain without sheet music, and a little complicated to grasp. Im just starting to get it. (I think)
ok last comment (for me), the click does NOT signify quarter notes when you're playing in 7/8, each click is 8TH notes when playing in _/8. likesay, as simply as possible: 7 beats in a measure (bar), where the 8th note counts as the BEAT. thus, 7 clicks per bar at whatever tempo equals 7 8th notes. just go on wikipedia or google and look at time signature, you can find in great detail the logic behind time signatures and the long and short of it is for ease of notation.
It is more simple to explain than all that stuff that people is writing here. A 7/8 time signature means that each bar contains seven 8th notes (which are played twice as fast as 4th notes). 7/7 isn't viable because 7th notes doesnt exist...
Or you can count 12 123 12 The more subdivisions a time signature has, the more variations there will be. For example, you would count 9/8 in '12' and '123' subdivisions as: 1. 12 12 12 123 2. 12 12 123 12 3. 12 123 12 12 4. 123 12 12 12 Math goes a long way with drumming, and fractions are not that hard anyway...
In my country Bulgaria 7/8 is very common but it sounds different. We have two bass drums at 1 and 4 and two snare drums at 3 and 6. You could also try it.
@ConorITC Imagine a bar of 4/4 with three extra quarter notes. That's 7/4. 7/8 is 4/4 with one less eight note. That may not make sense but to hear the difference listen to Money by Pink Floyd 7/4 and then the guitar solo section of Tom Sawyer 7/8
This is a great video with good explanation and I understand how to play different time signatures now, but I still can't hear the difference between 7/4 and 7/8. Basically, the denominator is confusing me and I still don't understand what its function is!
I know this is like 5 months late, but here we go. This is kinda long, but bear with me. Basically 7/4 means each measure has 7 quarter notes, and 7/8 means 7 eighth note in each measure. The reason for the difference is mainly for the conductor. Usually the cycle of 7 is so fast, the conductor's arm would fall off to conduct every beat. Basically, 7/4 is like 4/4 then 3/4 and back to 4/4 then 3/4 and so on, but its one measure of seven and not a 4 then a 3. 7/8 is a meter. A meter is more than a time signature, its a feel. Like 3/4 vs 6/8. 3/4 is 1 2 3 (1&2&3&) while 6/8 is 123 456 (1&a 2&a). 6/8 has a "2" feel. 1&a 2&a. (123 123). 12/8 is a shuffle feel. (1,2,3 4,5,6 7,8,9 10,11,12). no one can count 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12. so we do 1&a 2&a 3&a 4&a. See the pattern. 6/8 is 2 groups of 3 eighth notes. 2x3=6. 12/8 is 4 groups of 3 eight notes. 3/8 and 9/8 also exist, the follow the same pattern. These are called compound meters because, for example, 6/8 could be counted 12 34 56 or 123 456. Consider the America song from West side story. 123 456 12 34 56. it switches back and forth. Kinda cool, right? Anyway, meters (indicated by 3/8, 6/8, 5/8, 7/8. has an /8 on the bottom) are built with 2's and 3's. 5/8 is 123 45 (123 12) or 12 345 (12 123). 7/8 is 12 34 567 (12 12 123) 12 345 67 (12 123 12) or 123 45 67 (123 12 12). These odd time signatures are referred to as asymmetrical meters. Because the main "hits" of the "feel" are not evenly spaced. Make sense? The conductor will conduct the main "hits". In 7/8, there are 3 main "hits" (e.g. 1& 2& 3&a). 5/8 has 2 (1& 2&a). Makes sense? In 7/4 every beat (quarter note) is the "main hit". The feel is straight 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Usually you can tell the difference on how fast the music is. The faster it gets, the higher the tendency is to emphasize the 1,3, and 5 (12 34 567). Try it with 5. Count aloud "12345" then speed up until you are fast enough that it sounds like 12 345 12 345. Sorry for the long, late post. Hope this helps.
Hey mate, great lesson. Random question but in this time signature 7/8 how do we know when to hit the snare drum? Is there a clue somewhere in the numbers? Cheers. Also, in terms of getting faster around the kit with fills, is practicing rudiments and paradiddles the key to this? Cheers. P.s Just signed up for the online teaching, I'm hoping we can form a solid relationship because I'm not going to pay for drum lessons as they are too expensive & I've had many in the past. CHur
Ma gledaj, nije 7 udaraca sa dvije ruke, najjednostavnije da objasnim je da udaras po Hi hatu 7 udaraca i onda ispocetka, bas i snare udaraj kako god hoces, na prvu drugu nije bitno, samo moras imat 7 udaraca po hi hatu. Makedoniju prouci i Lipe cvatu i takve stvari, jednostavno si u glavi moras brojat 1234567 ili 1212123 ili 1231212 nije bitno, mora ih bit 7 i onda ispocetka!
@luizcarlosrauberoliv Trivium - Departure has got some decent 7/8, also try to look into Oceansize (eg. Commemorative T-shirt) it's 11/8 -> totally sick!
Pozdrav zemljak, ne ulazi mi nikako jedna stvar u glavu. Znaci mi kad sviramo ovo idemo tu klasiku 1212123 sto mu dodje sve ukupno 7 udaraca (sa obe ruke) u jednom taktu a ovaj kad svira ima samo 7 udaraca desnom rukom (a gde jos leva kad se doda na to) i ceo krug mu traje mnogo duze... Sad ne znam da li se razumes u ovo ali definitivno me je lik sad samo zbunio. :)
Does anyone know of any free online ways to play a beat and it spits out the time signature... I'm stuck with one of my bands original songs and we can all play it very easily but it's definitely not 4/4... or if there is a way to send an audio file to Jarred Faulkner lol
my boy said "now let's whip out some 7/8" .......... awesome lesson and we all appreciate you taking the time to share some love!
Thanks a ton! I always knew how to play 7/8 but never really understood what I was playing because I jam to so much music I just end up listening and replaying what I heard instead of fully understanding what I was playing. Cheers!
I like to get in 7/8, 9/8, 5/4, and 13/8 grooves as often as I can. It really allows for new dimensions of groove.
time signature: top number is how many beats per measure, bottom number is what note division counts as the beat. 7 beats in a measure where the 8th note counts as the beat.
You are truly helpful, I have been playing a while now and I still learn so much off of you! You have gained another subscriber!
Finding this useful strictly from a guitarist perspective. Cheers!
If you are learning to play Mohair Mountain (Rockschool Grade 6),then this lesson works. Thanks. JF.
I watched the video and mostly understood, then I went to my practice pad and still couldn't quite grasp it, then I re-watched the video, and now........ well... let's just say...... Mind = Blown
Thank's Jared!! You're an incredible teacher!!
mate you are one of the few guys that is really good on teaching and demonstrating the hardest parts. congrats!
In my opinion the best way to count, and also the most interesting and best sounding patterns come up if you think, is in measures of 2s and 3s, like: 1-2 1-2 1-2-3, or reversed like 1-2-3 1-2 1-2. These rythms were first written down by composer from Balkan since these are Macedonian folk rythms (7/8 9/8 11/8). This is just how they make sense the most.
Good teacher clear and easy to understand
8th notes are twice as fast as 4th notes, so 7/8 lasts the half of 7/4.
If you want to write 7/8 with 4th notes it would be 3.5/4, which is harder to understand, thats why sometimes people write 8th/16th notes in the denominator.
How do set techs tell if the stage is level?
If the drummer is drooling out of both sides of their mouth..
Very helpful lesson... Im a guitar player, not drummer, but I enjoy playing in odd time signatures, but i only know one drummer that can.
Am so glaaaaad I came across this channel!!!
i suggest listening to tool's Lateralus to hear multiple odd time signatures in practice
Because the ways sheet music is built. It's called 7/8 because there are 7 8th notes in one bar. In that bar it would also fit 14 16th notes. In this case it's more clear that there is two 16th notes subtracted from a full bar.
There is a difference between an 8th note and the 8th note of a 8/8 time signature. The first is a note that is an 8th of the length of a whole note, which are a whole bar of 4/4, 8/8, 16/16 and so forth. The second merely the last note in a bar of 8/8.
This is odd. I'm totally going to compose in this.
Try 11/8 and 13/8 as well. Patterns like 3+3+3+2 and 3+3+3+2+2 or any other variations of 7+6 sound amazing. Other time signatures have some really great combinations but those are the best (along with 7/8) in my opinion. To me 4/4 is way overused in music, knowing what else can be done.
well it is called common time.
the reason why alot of music is in 4/4 is because that's the time signature of the human heartbeat.
@@altjaminbentieri your comment wasn't for me but I'm checking those out, thanks!
You can also count as "one-two-three one-two one-two". Great drummer from Macedonia named Garabet Tavitjan introduced 7/8 to a whole generation of drummers in the former Yugoslavia in the early '80s.
zar nije to stari makedonski narodni ples? a vidim i bugari ga kontaju :)
Another way of putting it is that the base note (the number eight in 7/8) always tell where the pulse is. If you fiddle around with a metronome and first set it to 7/4 and then 7/8, the metronome will tick twice the speed compared to the 7/4 signature.
There are no 7th notes, because it is impractical and fairly hard to accurately divide a whole note into seven pieces. The note system is built on the half note being double the tempo from the whole note and so on.
Great video, I followed along tapping on the desk. I'm self taught and this is my first time exploring anything other than 4/4 and 3/4 (in my own playing), but I've listened to a lot of CHON, Covet and the like, and this 7/8 has so much tension to it, yet it feels comfortably predictable and fun to play. I can't fully describe it but I love it.
7/4 means that there is 7 quarter notes per measure. 4 stands for quarter notes. 7/8 means that there is 7 eighth notes per measure. 8 stands for the eighth notes. I hope this makes more sense to everyone.
ok, so I'm a major music nerd and i had to check in about this... it peaked my curiosity. you're right, there are 3 and a half quarters when playing in 7/8, so he's playing eighth notes... when in _/8 the 8th counts as the beat, the long and short of it is for ease of notation and to indicate the general feel/tempo of the piece. but if he were to double the notes he would be playing 16ths. very strange but, likesay it's all so reading/writing the sheet music is easier on performer/composer.
i hope your going to have a advance odd times video because i already know this but that's a really good way to teaching people who don't know it.
Seriously thank you so much! My band is trying to write in odd time signatures and this is all new to me
7/8 is ancient macedonian rythm, it goes 1231212, there is a folk dance also, and on top of that there is a jazz fusion band from north macedonia called vlatko stefanovski trio, where my favourite drummer plays :)
Great job young man!!! Have learned quite a bit from you.
@SputniksArmy he could be playing it at 80bpm and hitting the hi hat on each click and it could be in 7/16. Yes technically he could be playing it in 7/4 but hes interpreting each click as an 8th note, thats what time sigs are all about-- interpretation.
He explains at the beginning. The bottom tells you what note you will use when you count the beats. A whole note=4, 1/2=2beats, 1/4=1beat etc.
So in 7/8, rather than using 1/4 notes as your base, you use 8th notes.
Its a bit hard to explain without sheet music, and a little complicated to grasp. Im just starting to get it. (I think)
another way of counting which is common used is one two three four five six sev.
sev can replace seven.
Being from south Louisiana, I was always taught the Jazz 7/8. 12 12 123
Thank you! Your video is the only one that clicked for some reason
ok last comment (for me), the click does NOT signify quarter notes when you're playing in 7/8, each click is 8TH notes when playing in _/8. likesay, as simply as possible: 7 beats in a measure (bar), where the 8th note counts as the BEAT. thus, 7 clicks per bar at whatever tempo equals 7 8th notes. just go on wikipedia or google and look at time signature, you can find in great detail the logic behind time signatures and the long and short of it is for ease of notation.
This is actually also very helpful for beatboxing. Thank you so much
Your videos are so helpful and so easily explained that it isn't hard to catch on quick👍
Hello Jared, Excellent and encouraging presentation. Best regards, GillanMusicArt.
I find myself counting:
1 2 3 4 5 2 6
Because Se-ven being a 2 syllible word sucks!
Great lessson!! Very clear!
It is more simple to explain than all that stuff that people is writing here.
A 7/8 time signature means that each bar contains seven 8th notes (which are played twice as fast as 4th notes).
7/7 isn't viable because 7th notes doesnt exist...
excellent explanation!!!
Excellent lesson
ooo cant wait to learn this one sounds like fun
Or you can count 12 123 12
The more subdivisions a time signature has, the more variations there will be. For example, you would count 9/8 in '12' and '123' subdivisions as:
1. 12 12 12 123
2. 12 12 123 12
3. 12 123 12 12
4. 123 12 12 12
Math goes a long way with drumming, and fractions are not that hard anyway...
Hola, en el Ex 4 tocas un bombo que no está, para ser exacto antes del 5 tiempo del compás posterior al fill
nick swardson!
Good point. This feels much more natural :)
very good teacher!
@spoddie You should check out our record coming out. Lots of odd times, including 5/4, 7/8, 7/4, 3/8, 9/4, 9/8, 6/4, 15/8 and 3/4.
Macedonian people: 😎
In my country Bulgaria 7/8 is very common but it sounds different. We have two bass drums at 1 and 4 and two snare drums at 3 and 6. You could also try it.
This is helpful. Thanks, Jared.
@ConorITC Imagine a bar of 4/4 with three extra quarter notes. That's 7/4. 7/8 is 4/4 with one less eight note. That may not make sense but to hear the difference listen to Money by Pink Floyd 7/4 and then the guitar solo section of Tom Sawyer 7/8
Very nice, this was extremely helpful!
This is a great video with good explanation and I understand how to play different time signatures now, but I still can't hear the difference between 7/4 and 7/8. Basically, the denominator is confusing me and I still don't understand what its function is!
Ok, now a lesson in 13/16!
Awesome tutorial! Super clean! I am a piano teacher! What App do you use for a split screen with the music partition?
I swear I heard you say your name was Jared Funk and I was totally okay with it. You should change your name.
Shut up
1&2&3&4 I like that way
mr jared plz help me man...i didn't see the difference in sound between 7/4 and 7/8 ...plz mann
I know this is like 5 months late, but here we go. This is kinda long, but bear with me. Basically 7/4 means each measure has 7 quarter notes, and 7/8 means 7 eighth note in each measure. The reason for the difference is mainly for the conductor. Usually the cycle of 7 is so fast, the conductor's arm would fall off to conduct every beat. Basically, 7/4 is like 4/4 then 3/4 and back to 4/4 then 3/4 and so on, but its one measure of seven and not a 4 then a 3.
7/8 is a meter. A meter is more than a time signature, its a feel. Like 3/4 vs 6/8. 3/4 is 1 2 3 (1&2&3&) while 6/8 is 123 456 (1&a 2&a). 6/8 has a "2" feel. 1&a 2&a. (123 123). 12/8 is a shuffle feel. (1,2,3 4,5,6 7,8,9 10,11,12). no one can count 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12. so we do 1&a 2&a 3&a 4&a. See the pattern. 6/8 is 2 groups of 3 eighth notes. 2x3=6. 12/8 is 4 groups of 3 eight notes. 3/8 and 9/8 also exist, the follow the same pattern. These are called compound meters because, for example, 6/8 could be counted 12 34 56 or 123 456. Consider the America song from West side story. 123 456 12 34 56. it switches back and forth. Kinda cool, right? Anyway, meters (indicated by 3/8, 6/8, 5/8, 7/8. has an /8 on the bottom) are built with 2's and 3's. 5/8 is 123 45 (123 12) or 12 345 (12 123). 7/8 is 12 34 567 (12 12 123) 12 345 67 (12 123 12) or 123 45 67 (123 12 12). These odd time signatures are referred to as asymmetrical meters. Because the main "hits" of the "feel" are not evenly spaced. Make sense? The conductor will conduct the main "hits". In 7/8, there are 3 main "hits" (e.g. 1& 2& 3&a). 5/8 has 2 (1& 2&a). Makes sense? In 7/4 every beat (quarter note) is the "main hit". The feel is straight 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Usually you can tell the difference on how fast the music is. The faster it gets, the higher the tendency is to emphasize the 1,3, and 5 (12 34 567). Try it with 5. Count aloud "12345" then speed up until you are fast enough that it sounds like 12 345 12 345. Sorry for the long, late post. Hope this helps.
A great song for 7/8 is "Sound of Muzak" by Porcupine Tree. The HiHat is accented in 7/4 and the rest follows in 7/8....
in the last beat i think there is bass kick on 4th count before the roll
@spoddie spoonman by soundgarden is on 7/4 i think!
that was aa funny out take :-p
Hey mate, great lesson. Random question but in this time signature 7/8 how do we know when to hit the snare drum? Is there a clue somewhere in the numbers? Cheers. Also, in terms of getting faster around the kit with fills, is practicing rudiments and paradiddles the key to this? Cheers. P.s Just signed up for the online teaching, I'm hoping we can form a solid relationship because I'm not going to pay for drum lessons as they are too expensive & I've had many in the past. CHur
sweet video Jared it helps a lot! :D
@ConorITC 7 quarter notes as opposed to 7 eighth notes
It all depends on escaping from 4/4 .
This is so fing awesome
could you upload a more advanced lessons on 7/8 and odd times
Ma gledaj, nije 7 udaraca sa dvije ruke, najjednostavnije da objasnim je da udaras po Hi hatu 7 udaraca i onda ispocetka, bas i snare udaraj kako god hoces, na prvu drugu nije bitno, samo moras imat 7 udaraca po hi hatu. Makedoniju prouci i Lipe cvatu i takve stvari, jednostavno si u glavi moras brojat 1234567 ili 1212123 ili 1231212 nije bitno, mora ih bit 7 i onda ispocetka!
Nyc video bro
@luizcarlosrauberoliv Trivium - Departure has got some decent 7/8, also try to look into Oceansize (eg. Commemorative T-shirt) it's 11/8 -> totally sick!
I know right!
good example.
Pozdrav zemljak, ne ulazi mi nikako jedna stvar u glavu. Znaci mi kad sviramo ovo idemo tu klasiku 1212123 sto mu dodje sve ukupno 7 udaraca (sa obe ruke) u jednom taktu a ovaj kad svira ima samo 7 udaraca desnom rukom (a gde jos leva kad se doda na to) i ceo krug mu traje mnogo duze... Sad ne znam da li se razumes u ovo ali definitivno me je lik sad samo zbunio. :)
you should invite Mike Portnoy in your studios!
+Facebones That would be amazing! :D
Really helpful lesson! :)
I actually prefer 123 1 12 1.
there basically 16th notes subdivided by three instead of 4
Are there any sheet music for the intro jam before the actual lesson? and is that 7/8?
Nice
in 2021 my nome plays like this in 75mph, probably beat inflation thing lol
Thank you. ;)
thanks =)
Simple, just hit the hi-hat with both hands 13 times.
true, so he's playing quarter notes (on the hihat) in 7/8. =)
i though you was perfect... (i say it by the bloopers) now ''i belive i can fly'' haha :B! you rock anyway
What's a 28th note?
You forgot to notate the kick drum at 5:14 in example 4...just saying.
HAHAH he air wrote seven backwards, but cool video man!
did you do your eyebrows broo ?
Good explanation.
Greetings from Bulgaria :)
There isn't enough 5/4 and 7/8 music these days.
@ShittyMcPoopyBalls so... that's a part in 7/8, not the whole song... which songs that you know have 7/8? hugs.
7/4
is there a little mistake on 03.07? :)
Come on Jared, this is easier than 3.14/0. (Pi over zero)
do you already have one on 5/4 signature time
He has. In 2007.
u remind me of bran from mastodon
Does anyone know of any free online ways to play a beat and it spits out the time signature... I'm stuck with one of my bands original songs and we can all play it very easily but it's definitely not 4/4... or if there is a way to send an audio file to Jarred Faulkner lol
Good best./
Maravilha