Irregular metres, at the simplest definition, are time signatures that have unequal groupings, thus making them asymmetrical. How do you guys feel about them? Do you think that they're much too odd and only silly, experimental music objects? I'm actually working on an Étude for Oboe and Piano that employs 4/4, 3/4, 5/4, 7/8, 13/8, 11/8, and many others.

I don't know... I just felt like making a topic about this; they fascinate me. XD

The piece my band teacher for the Band Express is entitled, "Portals of Xanth" (based off the Sci-FI Book Series) and has preety much every Time/Meter Signature that you can come up with. It is constantly changing, though he makes it so very discreet how they change, often, 30 times in 1 minute.

I'm perfectly fine with 5/4 times as I am with 4/4 3/4 and 6/4. 7/8 too sometimes. I don't know about 13/8 or 11/8. I like simple numbers I could tap to or walk to. lol I sometimes walk in a 5/4 time.

Hah. I like simple ones-kind of. It's how you use patterns with your notes that really affect the time signature completely.

Personally, I believe that its just composers being lazy.

But hey, if it makes sense musically, it sucks to be the musician!

Yeh, you can get some pretty neat rhythms with those sorta meters - just recently, I wrote a little electro/rock-ish tune that sort of shifted between 9/8, 7/8, 6/8, 4/4, and to 5/4 (it's more of a clip than a full piece, so it doesn't really end per se). I liked how it turned out, for the most part.

I like Impressionistic music, so I naturally like asymmetrical metres.

wow . shizeet. That short random music really rox !!! ^^

If you alternate 5/4 and 7/4 measures with a cool bass-line, it can sound really sweet.

Why not just add 5 and 7 and get 12 and divide it by 4? Then you'd have 3/4, which is symmetrical.

(devils advocate, I really don't care)

For the same reasons a musicain seperates 11/8 into three catagroies: 4+4+3 4+3+4 or 3+4+4.

Ride, a Hazo composition, does quite a bit with abnormal time signatures, but it whimiscally flows quite well with the music, so it's not a confusing as some of other pieces that make you want to kill yourself (like some Bagpipe music that's in 14/16+18/16)

The day I see a trumpet piece that was writtin in a x/16+y/16 time signature will be the day I will chuck a Chicago brand (or whatever brand you feel is the best brand name for the trumpet) trumpet in the trash; mouthpiece and all.

yeah deathraider, when you do 5/4 + 7/4, you get a bassline that goes 5 beats, then a bassline that goes 7 beats, so it sounds irregular. The melody also goes: 5 beat melody + 7 beat melody. If you just do 3/4, then that gets rid of the irregularity and it's just another 3/4 song.

CODMAN is right. in order to keep the irregularity and originality, it is best that you keep it in 5/4 + 7/4. My battle theme is actually exactly like that.

As a follow up, since irregular metres have only gotten use since the Late Romantic era and onward, which means there's still a lot of room for good, original melodies.

Yeah, irregular meters are quite cool. I've been experimenting with them, without much success unfortunately. I keep finding that the results sound rather disjointed and clumsy.

Topic rezzer. :\

I prefer regular ones, most of the time. First of all, it's easier to "get into it" for most people. Imagine trying to head-bang or tap your foot to 13/8. XD Also, I believe that most of the music that comes naturally from humans and are genuinely inspired are most commonly made in 4/4, 3/4, or 5/4 time. ;)

Just my own personal opinion.

5/4 is natural eh?

That's new. :heh:

5/4 is natural eh?

That's new. :heh:

Sometimes it comes naturally! XD Like the song "Wind." It doesn't sound that awkward. Though you're right; most of the time it does. :heh:

5/4 sounds natural to me... :mellow:

Then again, so does 7/8. Probably cause I'm Greek. lol

If you alternate 5/4 and 7/4 measures with a cool bass-line, it can sound really sweet.

Schism?

Schism? What DOES that word mean, anyway? I know it's used in a religious context historically (The Great Schism of the Roman Catholic Church with the Alexander pope, the Avignon pope, and the Rome pope), but in music?

Schism? What DOES that word mean, anyway? I know it's used in a religious context historically (The Great Schism of the Roman Catholic Church with the Alexander pope, the Avignon pope, and the Rome pope), but in music?

"Schism" means "split" but in this case, I think it's just the name of a song by Tool.

"Schism" means "split" but in this case, I think it's just the name of a song by Tool.

Yeah, "alternate 5/4 and 7/4 measures with a cool bass-line" is basically the intro to the song.

Yeah... Schism's pretty cool. This is like the main riff. ;)

Ah. Pardon my lack of vocabulary and popular music understanding. :P

5/4 is natural eh?

That's new. :heh:

It suddenly hit me today, much to my dismay, that "Reviving Hollow Bastion" from KHII (and probably the "Hollow Bastion" song from the original game) is partly in 5/4...

I say "much to my dismay" because Finale Notepad stoutly refused to let me enter in such a time signature x_x Time to figure out how to use Noteworthy (and to cough up the $40 to buy it)...