IWETHEY v. 0.3.0 | TODO
1,095 registered users | 0 active users | 0 LpH | Statistics
Login | Create New User
IWETHEY Banner

Welcome to IWETHEY!

New But not entirely arbitrary
Traditionally the strongest beat is the first in a bar. Arranged from strongest to weakest, in normal 4/4 time the peaks are at notes 1, 3, 2 and 4. In 3/4 time the peaks are 1, 2, and 3, with 2 and 3 about the same strength. Think "waltz". In 2/2 time those strong peaks from 4/4 time are even. In 8/8 time every 8'th peak is stronger. And so on.

People don't, of course, religiously stick to that. But that's the trend, so an experienced musician can hear the difference between 2/2, 4/4 and 8/8 even though they are theoretically different ways of writing the same thing.

Note that I said "traditionally". One common trend for new genres of music is to deliberately turn previously established conventions on their head. For instance in jazz there are a lot of syncopated rhythms. All that syncopated means is that the emphasis is where you don't expect it to be. So 4/4 in jazz is likely to see peaks at 2, 4, 1 and then 3. So the beat is off from where you'd expect it.

So who would notice? It turns out that virtually everyone does! It may take a musician to tell you what's different, but you know that something is as soon as you hear it. (Note, even though the emphasis is wrong, you can still locate the chords because that's where words tend to start, instruments come in, etc. A lot of boundaries in the music line up along chord boundaries, so you get lots of audible reminders that you're "off".)

Cheers,
Ben
I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
Expand Edited by ben_tilly Nov. 20, 2005, 10:52:57 PM EST
Collapse Edited by ben_tilly Nov. 20, 2005, 10:54:34 PM EST
But not entirely arbitrary
Traditionally the strongest beat is the first in a bar. Arranged from strongest to weakest, in normal 4/4 time the peaks are at notes 1, 3, 2 and 4. In 3/4 time the peaks are 1, 2, and 3, with 2 and 3 about the same strength. Think "waltz". In 2/2 time those strong peaks from 4/4 time are even. In 8/8 time every 8'th peak is stronger. And so on.

People don't, of course, religiously stick to that. But that's the trend, so an experienced musician can hear the difference between 2/2, 4/4 and 8/8 even though they are theoretically different ways of writing the same thing.

Note that I said "traditionally". One common trend for new genres of music is to deliberately turn previously established conventions on their head. For instance in jazz there are a lot of syncopated rythms. All that syncopated means is that the emphasis is where you don't expect it to be. So 4/4 in jazz is likely to see peaks at 2, 4, 1 and then 3. So the beat is off from where you'd expect it.

So who would notice? It turns out that virtually everyone does! It may take a musician to tell you what's different, but you know that something is as soon as you hear it. (Note, even though the emphasis is wrong, you can still locate the chords because that's where words tend to start, instruments come in, etc. A lot of boundaries in the music line up along chord boundaries, so you get lots of audible reminders that you're "off".)

Cheers,
Ben
I have come to believe that idealism without discipline is a quick road to disaster, while discipline without idealism is pointless. -- Aaron Ward (my brother)
     Madonna is a pirate - (scoenye) - (24)
         Doesn't sound like much of a pirate - (SpiceWare) - (23)
             Vanilla Ice Sings The Dings. - (Yendor) - (1)
                 Must be part of why the RIAA doesn't comprehend fair use -NT - (SpiceWare)
             That's a whole hook - (tuberculosis) - (20)
                 IMNAM - (jbrabeck) - (7)
                     IWAM - (Yendor)
                     AKA a Measure. - (Another Scott) - (3)
                         So then using 4 notes to the bar - (jbrabeck) - (2)
                             Yeah. Lawyers. -NT - (imric)
                             4 beats - not notes - (tuberculosis)
                     A small division within the music of a useful size. - (static) - (1)
                         But not entirely arbitrary - (ben_tilly)
                 Yup, think Beethoven 5th: dot_dot_dot_dash; or old NBC triad - (Ashton)
                 Remember how they copyrighted "Happy Birthday"? - (imqwerky) - (10)
                     Nononono - (broomberg)
                     Linky. - (Another Scott)
                     a better birthday song - (cforde) - (7)
                         I think They Might Be Giants nailed it... - (Meerkat) - (6)
                             And I prefer... - (ben_tilly) - (5)
                                 Thanks Ben, For Another Depends(tm) Moment! - (imqwerky)
                                 Each new candle in your cake / Brings you close to your wake -NT - (dws) - (3)
                                     Happy Birth-day - Happy Birth-day - (imric) - (2)
                                         Pink Floyd's "Time." -NT - (inthane-chan) - (1)
                                             Yahbut - my twisted mind heard this: - (imric)

The honey tastes sweeter when you anger the bees.
48 ms