Having taught myself to play bass guitar by ear, I'm only now realizing what I'm actually doing. I've been doing different time signatures without knowing what their actual designations were. Thank you.
Haha same, played bass for 15 years and always ignored the time signature. Only time I noticed is when playing 'money'. But thought more of it as a gimmick
Same here.. I've been playing keyboard.. but didn't knew the theory of it.. but now after learning from these videos it makes sense.. and you are doing a great job sir, taking time out and presenting to us this knowledge.. Thank you once again from India 🙏
You Sir, are quite brilliant. Not all people are able to teach well, you do it exceptionally well. This was one of the clearest and best videos I've seen on music theory. If only all were so clear. You have earned my subscription. Thank you
That’s most kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
I’m with this comment. I feel the love of this instructor, which actually equates to, among other gifts, genius understanding of music and arrangement of music. Much respect. And why I subscribe AND WATCH. AND LISTEN. AND LEARN. His TEACHING and not him just loving to hear himself speak, like many on utube. World CLASS instructor. Trust. I’ve had many, some, so-called “greats.” Teacher is one of the instances where having utube is a blessing and a gift. Truly.
@@MusicMattersGB BTW- I long ago warned my children to watch out for certain types of teaching styles and “teachers” -especially on utube. Your channel, I recommend to all 3. AND, I knew u got where I was coming from when I commented about intuition. I was COMPELLED to comment then/there. Yet, for me, the timing of my comment was off- my intuition needed some discipline, it seems. lol. Luv ur channel and will be making much more use of your instructions and courses on line. I’m recommending young dancers, musicians, singers, rappers, I’ll be working with- I believe it’ll tighten them ALL UP! We must appreciate and $upport genius! Thank you!
Great lesson! I've never understood the difference but I think I do now. Amazing how such a subtle difference really has such a profound influence on the overall song. Maybe we would understand it better if more people used 2/4 time, but nowadays it's not nearly as popular as it used to be.
Lovely, clear, and persuasive explanation! I have always thought (and taught) the difference as being between “song” (4/4) and “march” (2/4). Not that all 2/4 pieces are technically marches, or that they cannot be melodic. The idea of “song” and “march” is meant merely as a bit of a mnemonic, and heuristic, device.
there are 2/4 songs and dances. Polkas in 2/4, "The girl from Ipanema" surely is a song in 2/4. I think 4/4 is just fairly popular a choice when 2/4 vs 4/4 just doesn't matter much. And then there are occasions (March, Polka) where it really matters so then composers conciously pick 2/4 (or 4/4 for example for a modern Tango).
bro i cant believe im saying this but what the honk, this is like the best explanation ive heard in my entire life relating to learning school-like kind of stuff. huge kudos to you man
OMG you just saved me from all the stress that I’ve been under to try and learn what a signature means whenever I asked someone they would always just say to me how many beats are in a measure and I’m thinking myself. What does that mean though you just saved me thank you so much. ❤🎷🇺🇸
I have always loved how clear you can explain the videos and actually solving the problems in the video. This extremely helped me so much. Can't thank you enough!
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin
Thanks for this very clear explanation. In 90% or more of pop and rock, the bass drum is on 1 and 3, but there is so much emphasis on the snappy backbeat snare on 2 and 4 that the effect is quite otherwise.
You could technically make any time signature sound like any other with convoluted notation, eg if you have a lot of brief timing shifts and you don't want to mark them every time or wish the musician to be able to keep counting the same time, timing is more about the feel and where the emphasis is and is down to the most easy way to represent the bulk of your information effectively so it can be parsed easily by the musician!
I love watching these videos. I find that your teaching style is very effective. I have no formal music training. As an adolescent I picked up a guitar and played in various ‘combos’ ranging from 2 to 5 musicians playing popular music. Back to the subject of this video, without formal training, I always imagined myself dancing with a partner to help me distinguish between a beat pattern. It will not always perfectly match the beat the composer intended, but it definitely helped make the music more appealing to listen to. As you point out, the ebb and flow of the emphasis on, or the dynamics of, the beat makes music musical. I am certain a there are phds given on the subject. Lastly, I always believed (rightly or wrongly) that before this modern era, when music was communicated to orchestras via the written note, the composer had to use methods like this to keep everyone playing together. Of course the conductor has ultimate authority how the sheet music is interpreted, but the ear of the audience expects each piece to follow established and familiar norms. Thanks again, great channel!
I do not have any previous experience with regard to the time signature. But your teaching has enlightened me regarding 2/4 and 4/4. Thank you so much!
Time signature trivia: Movie director John Carpenter composed the theme for his movie "Halloween" in 10/8. The reason: it is not a familiar time signature, especially to the average music consumer. It feels differently on the ear and puts you in an uneasy feeling. Which was the intention and what you want in a horror film. It's in the small details that denote genius.
Nice comment.. More trivia.. Let's do the math and divide by 2... 5/4 similar effect .. I remember hearing Howard Shore talking about composing the themes for the Lord Of The Rings movies and using 5/4 for the orc theme at Isengard for that same 'uneasy' reason. Also, I'm always amazed that the great drummer Joe Morello performs an extended drum solo in 5/4 in the Dave Brubeck quartet jazz classic 'Take 5'
Very good... The top number tells you how many beats there are in a measure and the bottom number tells you what note gets the beat. In high school band most of all our music was in 2/4...
Something I always wondered. Great information delivered in a nice clear straightforward manner. I learned something today. It's now officially a good day.
I had some music lessons in grade school, and have been a hobby musician ever since. When I asked back then about time signatures, I got the rote reply, "top number tells how many beats per measure; bottom number tells you quarter note gets one beat." Seemed utterly pointless to me. The ONLY time it made sense was differentiating between 4/4 & 3/4. Everything else was meaningless. Until today. Thank you so much for finally making this make sense! :D
Thnaks so much. I've always wondered about this. In the fairly limited number of in-person guitar lessons I've taken and in all the online lessons I've watched, no one has ever made this point about stresses. I think it iso obvious to teachers, who are after all experienced musicians, that it doesn't occur to them to discuss it.
Very nicely done. Apologies if you've already covered this but I'd love an equally straightforward take on 6/8 vs 12/8, which I find can be an even greyer grey area.
This really makes you understand music deeply. A clear example also that everything is related; I think that learning this kind of things makes your brain indirectly understand many other things as it intuitively makes relationships for us in the background
Thank you so much, Garrett! Your presentation is one of a handful that is helping me to understand time-signature theory, after 60 years of inability to fathom it.
I wonder how often this theory applies. I play classical guitar and I'm never thinking about which note to stress based on which beat I'm playing. I just phrase it the way that feels best to me, or I follow the composer's markings for dynamics. There are the rare occasions when I wonder about what a time signature is or which would be most appropriate. The next time I play a piece of music written in 2/4, I'll try to remember to give it some extra attention and see if I can understand why it was written as such. Sometimes, I think a time signature may be chosen just as a matter of convenience when writing the notation. One can be more or less cluttered than another or can just look nicer.
Time signatures signify more than convenience or aesthetic pleasure. You’re right to follow composer directions and to combine that with your own feel for the phrase. The time signature has natural stresses but a composer or performer is free to move away from the norms. It’s good to know what the norms are.
Thanks, I often wondered about this. It is fascinating the barely perceptible nuances that turn written notes into music.... and differentiate one performer/performance from another
I was never very good at music theory when I learned piano years ago - time signatures always sort of mystified me but this is the first explanation I’ve seen great actually makes sense. Thanks so much 🙂
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
I am happy to report that, although self taught, I instinctively knew of these differences. Thank you for supporting my arguments with others who received more so-called tuition.
At last I am beginning to understand the differences in Time Signatures. Thank you for your video which you explain so well and with a nice clear voice and no gimmicks etc. I look forward watching your other videos on this subject.
This is absolutely brilliant! My son is giving exams for grade 3 and was struggling with the difference. After i showed him this video he has not gotten a single one wrong! Thank you!
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
Amazing.... I have watched so many videos about time signature, but you are the only one that made my concept crystal clear. Especially about the denominator...
Being American I am still getting used to the term ‘crochets’ without thinking about Cratchet from Christmas Carol 🤩but your channel is the best of all the Music Theory ones I’ve watched.
Thank you Gareth for this beautiful explanation! In relation to accentuation, how do we distinguish the various compound time signatures and 3/4? Will be helpful if you can do a video on this.
Will do videos on that in due course. That’s kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including our 25 online courses and details of our exciting Maestros programme.
You can also think of 2/4 as 'march time'. That's the way I was taught anyway when I was younger. And 4/4 is like the majority of the music we hear today. And even though it wasn't covered in this video, 3/4, which is another time signature obviously, you can think of as 'waltz time'. Again that's the way I was taught when I did piano lessons.
Gareth is making a great case for me to enroll in his course since he is so calm and thorough with his examples. I watched him give a Piano Grade 1 Exam video, and I felt confident. I then watched a certain College show a video on the Grade 1 Exam. There was quite a gifted young man who was the subject. But I think they gave the exam in 17/8 time, since I couldn't follow anything.
I ran across one of your videos a few months ago and I really like how you include the keyboard on the bottom of the screen. I never could find any others so I subscribed this time.
It's also a math thing in writing out longer phrases. In 2/4 an 1/8 note has the same value as a 1/4 note. Sometimes writing the phrase in 2/4 just makes more musical sense for the particular piece and is easier for the performer to understand. An example is, at least in jazz, the famous song The Girl From Ipanema. Jobim notated the original in 2/4, yet all the sheet music is in 4/4.
One major difference you did not mention is that in the 2/4 line, there are 4 bars (full phrase), whereas in the 4/4 line, although it's the same melody, the phrase is incomplete as it still needs two other bars to fulfill a complete phrase. All music pieces having x/4 need to have a number of bars dividable by 4 (8, 16, 24, 32, etc). In other words, in your example, the first 2/4 line is complete whereas the second 4/4 is NOT. The latter still needs two extra bars to make some sense.
I just came across this recently - absolutely brilliant! The way you present it is so engaging and informative. I have learnt so much - thank you a million times over!
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. Next Music Matters livestream on December 19th.
I played Country music for 30 years out there in the clubs. I used 2/4 and 4/4 on the bass lines in country music and it worked great in the same song too.
I like the heirarchy of 1, 3, 2, 4. It feels like a round of 2/2's at half speed, where not only are the notes themselves within each 2/2 follow the pattern of stronger then weaker (1 then 3 or 2 then 4), but the entire sets of 2/2's also follow that pattern (1-3 vs 2-4).
how cool, thank you for this video! it reminds me of syllable stresses in writing/poetry -- i hadn't considered that music would have similar patterns of emphasis, but that makes a lot of sense!
Wish I'd been told this explicitly when I was learning. We were left to 'discover' things for ourselves...obviously, some of us completely missing what we were supposed to be noticing!
Bravo! One is king, three is queen,two is prince,four is princess, it goes on to vassals, dogs, cats mice etc. etc Mike from U.S. With all due respect for The Queen.
Wow! Excellent ! THANK YOU! Hahah I’ve been in bands for many many years ; played keyboards , guitar and harmonica and I never knew this ! I played it as such, but only from my ear. Now I understand it . .
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Louis Armstrong defined Jazz by saying "If it swings it's Jazz, If it don't, it ain't"! I can only go by the masters.
Absolutely
Can I ask something 👀?
a match teacher teaches music
😀
One of the best explanations I have heard.
That’s really kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
One is The Funk...it giveth and it taketh away.
Same
😀
I agree. I always think of 2/4 as tic-tock or nursery rhyme time. Strong -weak - tic-tock.
So I need to live my life in a more 4/4 fashion. Less stress.
😀
No, actually double the stress...
😀
I personally like to live my life in 5/4 + 10/8
I'm more of a 17/32 guy...I walk with a limp.
2/4 is used a lot for military marching music. The strong beat is when the left foot hits the ground.
😀
Samba!!!
😀
Definitely marching music is calypso.
😀
Having taught myself to play bass guitar by ear, I'm only now realizing what I'm actually doing. I've been doing different time signatures without knowing what their actual designations were. Thank you.
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
Haha same, played bass for 15 years and always ignored the time signature. Only time I noticed is when playing 'money'. But thought more of it as a gimmick
😀
Same here.. I've been playing keyboard.. but didn't knew the theory of it.. but now after learning from these videos it makes sense.. and you are doing a great job sir, taking time out and presenting to us this knowledge..
Thank you once again from India 🙏
A pleasure
You Sir, are quite brilliant. Not all people are able to teach well, you do it exceptionally well. This was one of the clearest and best videos I've seen on music theory. If only all were so clear. You have earned my subscription. Thank you
That’s most kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
I’m with this comment. I feel the love of this instructor, which actually equates to, among other gifts, genius understanding of music and arrangement of music. Much respect. And why I subscribe AND WATCH. AND LISTEN. AND LEARN. His TEACHING and not him just loving to hear himself speak, like many on utube. World CLASS instructor. Trust. I’ve had many, some, so-called “greats.” Teacher is one of the instances where having utube is a blessing and a gift. Truly.
That’s very generous of you. Thank you
@@MusicMattersGB BTW- I long ago warned my children to watch out for certain types of teaching styles and “teachers” -especially on utube. Your channel, I recommend to all 3. AND, I knew u got where I was coming from when I commented about intuition. I was COMPELLED to comment then/there. Yet, for me, the timing of my comment was off- my intuition needed some discipline, it seems. lol. Luv ur channel and will be making much more use of your instructions and courses on line. I’m recommending young dancers, musicians, singers, rappers, I’ll be working with- I believe it’ll tighten them ALL UP! We must appreciate and $upport genius! Thank you!
That’s really kind. As you know there’s much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
I've never understood this til now. Thank you!
That’s great. See www.mmcourses.co.uk for much more.
These are the kind of basics I was searching for. Thanks for the video.
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
Me too! Hearing it explained like this is so nice
Very kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our 25 online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme.
@@MusicMattersGB jjbkjb
Great lesson! I've never understood the difference but I think I do now. Amazing how such a subtle difference really has such a profound influence on the overall song. Maybe we would understand it better if more people used 2/4 time, but nowadays it's not nearly as popular as it used to be.
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
Lovely, clear, and persuasive explanation! I have always thought (and taught) the difference as being between “song” (4/4) and “march” (2/4). Not that all 2/4 pieces are technically marches, or that they cannot be melodic. The idea of “song” and “march” is meant merely as a bit of a mnemonic, and heuristic, device.
That’s great. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
there are 2/4 songs and dances. Polkas in 2/4, "The girl from Ipanema" surely is a song in 2/4. I think 4/4 is just fairly popular a choice when 2/4 vs 4/4 just doesn't matter much. And then there are occasions (March, Polka) where it really matters so then composers conciously pick 2/4 (or 4/4 for example for a modern Tango).
Hands down the best explanation of time signature in my opinion.
You’re most kind
bro i cant believe im saying this but what the honk, this is like the best explanation ive heard in my entire life relating to learning school-like kind of stuff. huge kudos to you man
You’re too kind
OMG you just saved me from all the stress that I’ve been under to try and learn what a signature means whenever I asked someone they would always just say to me how many beats are in a measure and I’m thinking myself. What does that mean though you just saved me thank you so much. ❤🎷🇺🇸
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
I have always loved how clear you can explain the videos and actually solving the problems in the video. This extremely helped me so much. Can't thank you enough!
I’m glad it’s useful. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
Amazing lessons learning a lot. Thank you so much. Keep posting ❤️🎶🎵🎼
Most kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
Wow, I've been wondering this for more than 30 years of playing music - thank you so much for this excellent explanation!
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin
Same here!
You do such a good job explaining music. It’s fun and enjoyable. Thank you.
That’s most kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
I appreciate the lesson. Your voice is pleasant to listen. Thank you.
Thank you. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
Thanks for this very clear explanation. In 90% or more of pop and rock, the bass drum is on 1 and 3, but there is so much emphasis on the snappy backbeat snare on 2 and 4 that the effect is quite otherwise.
Absolutely. In certain styles the backbeats take on particular significance.
You could technically make any time signature sound like any other with convoluted notation, eg if you have a lot of brief timing shifts and you don't want to mark them every time or wish the musician to be able to keep counting the same time, timing is more about the feel and where the emphasis is and is down to the most easy way to represent the bulk of your information effectively so it can be parsed easily by the musician!
That’s true. It’s good that time signatures make all that so much easier.
I love watching these videos. I find that your teaching style is very effective. I have no formal music training. As an adolescent I picked up a guitar and played in various ‘combos’ ranging from 2 to 5 musicians playing popular music. Back to the subject of this video, without formal training, I always imagined myself dancing with a partner to help me distinguish between a beat pattern. It will not always perfectly match the beat the composer intended, but it definitely helped make the music more appealing to listen to. As you point out, the ebb and flow of the emphasis on, or the dynamics of, the beat makes music musical. I am certain a there are phds given on the subject. Lastly, I always believed (rightly or wrongly) that before this modern era, when music was communicated to orchestras via the written note, the composer had to use methods like this to keep everyone playing together. Of course the conductor has ultimate authority how the sheet music is interpreted, but the ear of the audience expects each piece to follow established and familiar norms. Thanks again, great channel!
A great pleasure. See www.mmcourses.co.uk for details of our 25 online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme.
This is an excellent video, a perfect video really. This makes so much sense. You just got another subscriber! Thank you.
Most kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our 25 online courses and details of our exciting Maestros programme.
I do not have any previous experience with regard to the time signature. But your teaching has enlightened me regarding 2/4 and 4/4. Thank you so much!
A great pleasure. Have a look at www.mmcourses.co.uk for our 25 online courses and for details of our exciting Maestros programme.
Time signature trivia: Movie director John Carpenter composed the theme for his movie "Halloween" in 10/8. The reason: it is not a familiar time signature, especially to the average music consumer. It feels differently on the ear and puts you in an uneasy feeling. Which was the intention and what you want in a horror film. It's in the small details that denote genius.
Absolutely
Nice comment.. More trivia.. Let's do the math and divide by 2... 5/4 similar effect .. I remember hearing Howard Shore talking about composing the themes for the Lord Of The Rings movies and using 5/4 for the orc theme at Isengard for that same 'uneasy' reason. Also, I'm always amazed that the great drummer Joe Morello performs an extended drum solo in 5/4 in the Dave Brubeck quartet jazz classic 'Take 5'
😀
@@MusicMattersGB Sorry to chime in, but was the piece written in: 2/4 or 4/4?
Curious why you'd call that one 10/8 and not 5/4? When I hear it, my foot naturally taps the quarter notes (crotchets if you will ;).
Very good... The top number tells you how many beats there are in a measure and the bottom number tells you what note gets the beat. In high school band most of all our music was in 2/4...
😀
Something I always wondered. Great information delivered in a nice clear straightforward manner. I learned something today. It's now officially a good day.
A great pleasure. Have a look at www.mmcourses.co.uk for our 25 online courses and for details of our exciting Maestros programme.
I had some music lessons in grade school, and have been a hobby musician ever since. When I asked back then about time signatures, I got the rote reply, "top number tells how many beats per measure; bottom number tells you quarter note gets one beat." Seemed utterly pointless to me.
The ONLY time it made sense was differentiating between 4/4 & 3/4. Everything else was meaningless. Until today.
Thank you so much for finally making this make sense! :D
A great pleasure. See www.mmcourses.co.uk for details of our 25 online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme.
Great lesson! And I really appreciate your perfect pronunciation, easy to understand for a non-native speaker like me. Thank you very much.
That’s most kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
@@MusicMattersGB 😀
Thnaks so much. I've always wondered about this. In the fairly limited number of in-person guitar lessons I've taken and in all the online lessons I've watched, no one has ever made this point about stresses. I think it iso obvious to teachers, who are after all experienced musicians, that it doesn't occur to them to discuss it.
Fair point. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
Very nicely done. Apologies if you've already covered this but I'd love an equally straightforward take on 6/8 vs 12/8, which I find can be an even greyer grey area.
Similar situation. 6/8 and 12/8 are both Compound time signatures. 6/8 contains two dotted crotchet beats; 12/8 contains four dotted crotchet beats.
This really makes you understand music deeply. A clear example also that everything is related; I think that learning this kind of things makes your brain indirectly understand many other things as it intuitively makes relationships for us in the background
That’s great. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
Really excellent explanation. I've always wondered about this, now I'm clued up!
This is my go to channel for music theory
A great pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our 25 online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme.
Thank you so much, Garrett! Your presentation is one of a handful that is helping me to understand time-signature theory, after 60 years of inability to fathom it.
That’s great. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
I wonder how often this theory applies. I play classical guitar and I'm never thinking about which note to stress based on which beat I'm playing. I just phrase it the way that feels best to me, or I follow the composer's markings for dynamics.
There are the rare occasions when I wonder about what a time signature is or which would be most appropriate.
The next time I play a piece of music written in 2/4, I'll try to remember to give it some extra attention and see if I can understand why it was written as such.
Sometimes, I think a time signature may be chosen just as a matter of convenience when writing the notation. One can be more or less cluttered than another or can just look nicer.
Time signatures signify more than convenience or aesthetic pleasure. You’re right to follow composer directions and to combine that with your own feel for the phrase. The time signature has natural stresses but a composer or performer is free to move away from the norms. It’s good to know what the norms are.
Maybe composers who don't know the norms might choose one for other reasons.
Sure
Thanks, I often wondered about this.
It is fascinating the barely perceptible nuances that turn written notes into music.... and differentiate one performer/performance from another
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for these videos, I'm becoming very inspired to learn more! You really are so good at teaching, I'm so glad I found you 🥰
That’s most kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme.
I agree with Rbigraff. After all my years this is the first time I really understood WHEN and WHY you would specify 2/4 vs. 4/4.
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Most Brazilian guitar music (bossa nova, samba, choro, etc.) is played in 2/4 time. Ex. "The Girl From Ipanema"
😀
I was never very good at music theory when I learned piano years ago - time signatures always sort of mystified me but this is the first explanation I’ve seen great actually makes sense. Thanks so much 🙂
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
I learned it by enunciating "B" for a strong beat, "O" for a soft, and "E" for a less accented beat.
😀
I learn much better on RUclips than my actual lecture lol,but on a serious note-i have the freedom to see,play and pause and learn at my own pace.
That’s one of the big advantages. See www.mmcourses.co.uk
So excellent and clear! Best explanation and really helps answer the question I've had for years.
Excellent. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
I am happy to report that, although self taught, I instinctively knew of these differences. Thank you for supporting my arguments with others who received more so-called tuition.
That’s great.
At last I am beginning to understand the differences in Time Signatures. Thank you for your video which you explain so well and with a nice clear voice and no gimmicks etc. I look forward watching your other videos on this subject.
That’s great. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
This is absolutely brilliant! My son is giving exams for grade 3 and was struggling with the difference. After i showed him this video he has not gotten a single one wrong! Thank you!
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
Wonderful explanation, I definitely did not think of the accentuation when the bar starts, thank you very much dear sir. Have a lovely day!
You too!
My doubt for many years have been cleared. Thank you Sir..
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What an asset for RUclips. A properly educated music teacher!
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Amazing.... I have watched so many videos about time signature, but you are the only one that made my concept crystal clear. Especially about the denominator...
That’s great.
Being American I am still getting used to the term ‘crochets’ without thinking about Cratchet from Christmas Carol 🤩but your channel is the best of all the Music Theory ones I’ve watched.
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Have always wondered what the difference was. Thanks for explaning it so well!
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The first notes are saying, "you are stressing me out." Very good explanation. One of best I have seen. Subtleties.
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Thank you. This is a fantastic intro to timing. I'm not a musician and can understand it completely.
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Thank you Gareth for this beautiful explanation! In relation to accentuation, how do we distinguish the various compound time signatures and 3/4? Will be helpful if you can do a video on this.
Will do videos on that in due course. That’s kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including our 25 online courses and details of our exciting Maestros programme.
You can also think of 2/4 as 'march time'. That's the way I was taught anyway when I was younger. And 4/4 is like the majority of the music we hear today. And even though it wasn't covered in this video, 3/4, which is another time signature obviously, you can think of as 'waltz time'. Again that's the way I was taught when I did piano lessons.
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Gareth is making a great case for me to enroll in his course since he is so calm and thorough with his examples. I watched him give a Piano Grade 1 Exam video, and I felt confident. I then watched a certain College show a video on the Grade 1 Exam. There was quite a gifted young man who was the subject. But I think they gave the exam in 17/8 time, since I couldn't follow anything.
😀You’re very kind
I ran across one of your videos a few months ago and I really like how you include the keyboard on the bottom of the screen. I never could find any others so I subscribed this time.
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@@MusicMattersGB brilliant 👏
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It's also a math thing in writing out longer phrases. In 2/4 an 1/8 note has the same value as a 1/4 note. Sometimes writing the phrase in 2/4 just makes more musical sense for the particular piece and is easier for the performer to understand. An example is, at least in jazz, the famous song The Girl From Ipanema. Jobim notated the original in 2/4, yet all the sheet music is in 4/4.
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Excellent video my friend. I've always been able to feel the difference, but never had it explained so clearly. Well done.
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One major difference you did not mention is that in the 2/4 line, there are 4 bars (full phrase), whereas in the 4/4 line, although it's the same melody, the phrase is incomplete as it still needs two other bars to fulfill a complete phrase.
All music pieces having x/4 need to have a number of bars dividable by 4 (8, 16, 24, 32, etc). In other words, in your example, the first 2/4 line is complete whereas the second 4/4 is NOT. The latter still needs two extra bars to make some sense.
Many phrases in music are multiples of 4 in length but there are thousands of examples of two bar phrases and also of irregular phrase lengths.
I just came across this recently - absolutely brilliant! The way you present it is so engaging and informative. I have learnt so much - thank you a million times over!
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A question I've pondered since I first became interested in music. Excellent. Thank you.
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Great stuff! Thank you for these videos.
I wonder if you might consider for an upcoming subject, a description for "Cut time" and "Double Cut time".
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Thank you soo much. This has really helped an old codger who started piano 🎹 in retirement.
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Thank you. This is much more helpful than my high friend trying to explain it through a Tribe Called Quest song.
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Straight to the point and foolproof, thanks a bunch!
A pleasure
What is the history behind a less-strong beat on beat 3? Beats are build- Crusis, metacrusis, meatscrusis, anacrusis.
The convention is that the final beat of a three time is lighter as a lift before the main beat.
I played Country music for 30 years out there in the clubs.
I used 2/4 and 4/4 on the bass lines in country music
and it worked great in the same song too.
Excellent
Interesting breakdown of the 2 signatures. I'd like to see other time signature comparisons too, which I see other people commenting on.
Yes. We will cover those in due course.
This question has literally been bugging me since high school, thanks for letting me know!
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Same exact question Ive had for a while and such a easy explanation.
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A good example is Pink Floyd's 'Money'; the first half is in 4/4 time, then it switches to 2/4, the usual rock format.
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Or as most of us think, the first half is in 7/8 and the second half in 4/4.
@@danpreston564 I'd have thought 7/4?
I like the heirarchy of 1, 3, 2, 4. It feels like a round of 2/2's at half speed, where not only are the notes themselves within each 2/2 follow the pattern of stronger then weaker (1 then 3 or 2 then 4), but the entire sets of 2/2's also follow that pattern (1-3 vs 2-4).
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Thanks. I'm learning a ukulele tune in 2/4 time and this is very helpful.
Excellent
how cool, thank you for this video! it reminds me of syllable stresses in writing/poetry -- i hadn't considered that music would have similar patterns of emphasis, but that makes a lot of sense!
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I never understood how they could be different until this video. Thank you!
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Tx for your detailed explanation (also for your comforting British accent and ideal grammar - rare nowadays, unfortunately). Have a good weekend ❤
Thank you. You too!
I´ve often wondered about that. I thought that might be it, but now I know for sure.
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Wish I'd been told this explicitly when I was learning. We were left to 'discover' things for ourselves...obviously, some of us completely missing what we were supposed to be noticing!
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Take a look.
Nice thanks! Explains 2/4 for me on tag time especially with the jumping left hand!
Excellent
Thank you so much Sir. I learnt a lot and now I am able to answer all the questions right in the practice tests. You are really helpful
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Great video as always, Gareth!
Most kind. Hope all well. All the best. Gareth
Bravo! One is king, three is queen,two is prince,four is princess, it goes on to vassals, dogs, cats mice etc. etc
Mike from U.S. With all due respect for The Queen.
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Finally I understood the difference......simply you are great sir 🙏😊
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This was driving me nuts until your explanation-thanks!
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Thank u very much for explaining so well u r too good sir
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This was the best explanation, I have ever viewed. Thank you
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Thank you. I have wondered about this. Now it is clear. Best wishes from New Zealand.
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Wow! Excellent ! THANK YOU! Hahah I’ve been in bands for many many years ; played keyboards , guitar and harmonica and I never knew this ! I played it as such, but only from my ear. Now I understand it . .
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You're very expressive. Amazing video. Thanks
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The best explanation I’ve hear and seen!
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I actually totally got that. What a well Organized description. Thank you
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Thank you very much! Your explanation was really clear and concise and has helped me understand the difference better
That’s great.
3:12, thank you I was struggling with this concept, now I understand it better
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Very well said.
But, I wish you would have played the two back to back at the end of the show.
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Beautifully explained.
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wow, your way of explaining is amazing
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very clear. I have not understood these before
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That is an interesting and good explanation of the nuance between the two time signatures.
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Thank you! I understand this now and I appreciate what you taught!
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