UNUSUAL TIMES

I was working on some unusual-time-signature practice earlier. That’s where music is written in a non-standard rhythm, like say, seven beats in a bar instead of eight, or five instead of four.

You have to unlearn your normal way of thinking and rewire your brain a bit, especially if you’re a play-by-feel person and you’re not used to it. 

The conference session on ‘unlearning’ last week was useful after all then!

Well anyway, 7/8-time slotted nicely into place. It’s funny how it pushes a beat ahead every bar. It’s like resetting ev Bar before you’ve had a chance to fig Out what might be going on and that cause The whole thing to move along as though No room for any breathing or pausing or anything. Well, you get the picture.

I like it though. It’s got pace. I wondered whether I could write a bit of piano music that switches between 7/8 and 6/8 alternately. I could call it ‘At Sixes and Sevens’...

I bet someone’s already done it. Anyway, I’m not good enough yet. And it’s showing off anyway.

5/4 is a little closer to recognisable. Blondie used a bar of it in Heart of Glass, and it’s famously the pattern for Dave Brubeck’s Take Five. I like it.

I came up with an idea for a tune in 5/4 that’s sort of a rolling pattern of 3 then 2 crotchets (quarter notes). It’s pretty - sort of baroque style. It’d sound delicious on a harpsichord. I think I’ll call it Cinq Célèbres Aventures just for fun.

Unfortunately I can’t put any quavers (eighth notes) in yet without slipping back into 4/4, or just losing the pulse altogether. I’m not too good at counting rests either. I’m no Amadeus.

Some people I know would go even more to the fringes with 13/8 time or 11/4 or something daft and other-worldly like that. I’m not sure I’m ready for those shenanigans. I like music that doesn't make people feel uncomfortable. Which is why, I guess, I hang out mostly in 4/4 and sometimes 6/8.

I’m no Sting, that’s for sure: I like my toast done on both sides for a start. And I play common-time for seconds. Oh and I don’t have a lute.

It was a fun thing to try. I’ll crack it one day. What was weird was going back to a normal 4/4 rhythm afterwards, so hopefully I can relearn what I unlearned and add it back to my learned-stuff. Otherwise I’ll be in ‘unusual times’ for a while.