I love that after seeming to be stuck in a minor I-V vamp for the whole of the A section the 1st chord of the B section is so beautifully placed so that it feels like the music is effortlessly gliding downhill gently pulled by gravity. Great tune - it’s also a great album for anyone interested in getting into jazz. Lots of play with interesting time signatures.
I used to use odd time signatures alot. These days, I find myself more using odd numbers of groups of bars. This provides a sense of propulsion and surprise, while still maintaining a steady pulse. It's an interesting effect.
I really enjoy your method of explaining things and would love it if you did a video on antecedent and consequent phrasing in modern music. I have an idea it is similar to call & response but different. Keep up the good work.
I've been doing some odd meter stuff too I've taken groups of 11 (3+3+3+2), then cut them off to fit into 2, 3, 4 and 5 bar phrases, and then played them on top of each other, the results are quite cool. Furthermore I added a polymetric drum groove with multiple groupings playing against each other, creating even more rhythmical ambiguity.
Have you been psychically looking over my shoulder again Chris? (you knew I was going to ask that right? 😶🌫🤫😃) . I've been working on a 5/8 piece which follows a cycle of major mediants. The challenge here is to avoid sounding like Take 5. Yes you have to internalise rhythms. I play and sing in 7/8 regularly (both at once) and if you have to think about what you're doing, forget it. The Dead naturally made it sound like they'd just accidentally dropped a beat from an otherwise conventional sequence. There are fewer available permutations than 12/8 - it's either 3+2 or 2+3 although I've tried double and half-timing sequences which can be interesting. Then there is syncopation, which I find easier in 7/8 or slip jigs (9/8), it doesn't have to be the hellforleather craziness of Bulgarian Wedding Music but, you know, people still dance to that kind of stuff! The trick is always to avoid making it feel like a mathematical exercise.
I love odd time signatures! I don't use them as much as I maybe should in my writing, but they definitely show up from time to time. I'm also a big fan of the 3+3+2 way of splitting up 4/4.
Breaking it down to 2 and 3 makes sense since our cognitive structure probably grooves to one and/or others better than 7 or 9. So we get 3 and 4. But why does musical language find its way, when we you get past bars to phrases, to 4 but not 3? Waltzes have a pulse of 3 inside the bar but just as triplets concede to a 4 beat bar waltz impulses resolve to 4 bar phrases. Do know of any music that has 3/4 inside the bar but never concedes to 4? Concentric circles of 3s?
I love that after seeming to be stuck in a minor I-V vamp for the whole of the A section the 1st chord of the B section is so beautifully placed so that it feels like the music is effortlessly gliding downhill gently pulled by gravity. Great tune - it’s also a great album for anyone interested in getting into jazz. Lots of play with interesting time signatures.
Fab video ! you should do one on Blue rondo a la turk 2-2-2-3
I used to use odd time signatures alot. These days, I find myself more using odd numbers of groups of bars. This provides a sense of propulsion and surprise, while still maintaining a steady pulse. It's an interesting effect.
I really enjoy your method of explaining things and would love it if you did a video on antecedent and consequent phrasing in modern music. I have an idea it is similar to call & response but different. Keep up the good work.
Great thought!
Yemen Blues…nice. Ever checked out Ibrahim Maalouf…his track Naga is an absolute beast
Hey Chris, check out Willow's new album "empathogen". I would love to see your breakdown and learn from it.
I've been doing some odd meter stuff too
I've taken groups of 11 (3+3+3+2), then cut them off to fit into 2, 3, 4 and 5 bar phrases, and then played them on top of each other, the results are quite cool. Furthermore I added a polymetric drum groove with multiple groupings playing against each other, creating even more rhythmical ambiguity.
Have you been psychically looking over my shoulder again Chris? (you knew I was going to ask that right? 😶🌫🤫😃) . I've been working on a 5/8 piece which follows a cycle of major mediants. The challenge here is to avoid sounding like Take 5. Yes you have to internalise rhythms. I play and sing in 7/8 regularly (both at once) and if you have to think about what you're doing, forget it. The Dead naturally made it sound like they'd just accidentally dropped a beat from an otherwise conventional sequence. There are fewer available permutations than 12/8 - it's either 3+2 or 2+3 although I've tried double and half-timing sequences which can be interesting. Then there is syncopation, which I find easier in 7/8 or slip jigs (9/8), it doesn't have to be the hellforleather craziness of Bulgarian Wedding Music but, you know, people still dance to that kind of stuff! The trick is always to avoid making it feel like a mathematical exercise.
OK, now I get the "Take Five" title. Amazing how we can't see the forest for the trees sometimes. lol Thanks Chris. Another amazing lesson..
😄
I love odd time signatures! I don't use them as much as I maybe should in my writing, but they definitely show up from time to time. I'm also a big fan of the 3+3+2 way of splitting up 4/4.
Wowwww what are the odds?! I listened to this album for the first time in my life yesterday. This is perfect
Breaking it down to 2 and 3 makes sense since our cognitive structure probably grooves to one and/or others better than 7 or 9.
So we get 3 and 4.
But why does musical language find its way, when we you get past bars to phrases, to 4 but not 3? Waltzes have a pulse of 3 inside the bar but just as triplets concede to a 4 beat bar waltz impulses resolve to 4 bar phrases. Do know of any music that has 3/4 inside the bar but never concedes to 4? Concentric circles of 3s?
Maybe write one?