Numb first song in three-four time?

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CroMagnon · #16 Post by **CroMagnon** » Sun 04 Jun 2006, 10:40 am

I'm fairly certain that PSB have stated before that Can you forgive her? is in 6/8 time and that this is responsible for the slightly "sneaky" feeling that the song has.

Ramzy · #17 Post by **Ramzy** » Sun 04 Jun 2006, 1:14 pm

LIAC is palpably in 6/8 because the greater picture is of a rhythm in two-time rather than three-time (ONE two three TWO two three). Same goes for 'Numb' - listen to how the snare's used. One's classed as compound duple, one's simple triple. 6/8 is considered to be in twos.

Can you forgive her?'s only ostensibly 4/4 - the triplet divisions aren't that rapid. The swingbeat in Seriously? is far more subtle (by which I mean fast). I don't think the PSB have ever written a song in 3/4.

If you're not convinced about 'Numb', listen to, say, 'Death of an interior decorator' by Death Cab For Cutie. THAT'S 3/4.

diana · #18 Post by **diana** » Sun 04 Jun 2006, 2:18 pm

Ramzy wrote:LIAC is palpably in 6/8 because the greater picture is of a rhythm in two-time rather than three-time (ONE two three TWO two three). Same goes for 'Numb' - listen to how the snare's used. One's classed as compound duple, one's simple triple. 6/8 is considered to be in twos.

Can you forgive her?'s only ostensibly 4/4 - the triplet divisions aren't that rapid. The swingbeat in Seriously? is far more subtle (by which I mean fast). I don't think the PSB have ever written a song in 3/4.

If you're not convinced about 'Numb', listen to, say, 'Death of an interior decorator' by Death Cab For Cutie. THAT'S 3/4.

I'm not convinced. See in your head a pear of dancers doing a waltz, and listen to LIAC. Do'nt fit.I think you are right, that is probably 6/8. Listen to Numb. Fits perfect. You can see the dancers floating over the dancefloor.

DominoDancing · #19 Post by **DominoDancing** » Sun 04 Jun 2006, 9:42 pm

The rythm of Can you forgive her? always confuses me. If you listen to the bass the chords change after four beats, but if you listen to the hi-hats it goes one-two-three-one-two-three.

Hillbilly · #20 Post by **Hillbilly** » Sun 04 Jun 2006, 10:17 pm

Ramzy wrote:LIAC is palpably in 6/8 because the greater picture is of a rhythm in two-time rather than three-time (ONE two three TWO two three). Same goes for 'Numb' - listen to how the snare's used. One's classed as compound duple, one's simple triple. 6/8 is considered to be in twos.

It is indeed! We have an interesting difference between music and mathematics here: in maths, 3/4 and 6/8 are the same, while in music 6/8 is the same as 2/4!

I 'm well aware of this as I am playing the clarinet in an orchestra whose speciality is - march music. Whether a march is written in 2/4 or 6/8 you always go 1-2, 1-2, left-right, left-right to it.

TallThinMan · #21 Post by **TallThinMan** » Sun 04 Jun 2006, 10:58 pm

Can You Forgive Her? is in 6/8 time and Love Is A Catastrophe is in 12/8 time. I know, because I have the sheet music for both. Did you know that Hit Music has a single measure that's in 5/4 time? That is weird!

retrofuturist · #22 Post by **retrofuturist** » Mon 05 Jun 2006, 3:59 am

Well has anyone got the sheet music??? That might settle the debate.

retrofuturist · #23 Post by **retrofuturist** » Mon 05 Jun 2006, 3:59 am

Thank you Tall Thin Man... I knew someone would have the sheet music.

Hillbilly · #24 Post by **Hillbilly** » Mon 05 Jun 2006, 9:32 am

TallThinMan wrote:Can You Forgive Her? is in 6/8 time and Love Is A Catastrophe is in 12/8 time. I know, because I have the sheet music for both. Did you know that Hit Music has a single measure that's in 5/4 time? That is weird!

Yeah, but so has "Always" by Erasure...

The main part of Pink Floyd's "Money" is in 7/4 time.

Midnight Oil have made several songs, on their most experimental albums, that change time signature within the song: for example "Short memory" has the verses in 3/4 and a chorus that includes both 4/4 and 2/4 bars. And they also have a song with a guitar riff in 7/4.

boyjohn · #25 Post by **boyjohn** » Mon 05 Jun 2006, 2:45 pm

During part of "happiness is a warm gun" by the Beatles, Ringo is in 12/8 while the rest of the band is in 4/4.

MarcoS · #26 Post by **MarcoS** » Mon 05 Jun 2006, 3:02 pm

Does anyone know whether "I made my excuses and left" is in 4/4 or something else?

I'm asking becasue the hi-hats (brilliant!) confuse me, they have a similar arrangment to Bjork's "Immature", which I'm pretty sure is not a 4/4 song

Anyone knows?

Marco

profile790 · #27 Post by **profile790** » Wed 14 Jun 2006, 11:21 am

Does any music expert know if there's any difference between 3/4 and 6/8 time? I read somewhere (I believe on the Geowayne) website that CYTH is in 3/4, and this is their ONLY single that wasn't in 4/4.

Tomas · #28 Post by **Tomas** » Wed 14 Jun 2006, 4:14 pm

TallThinMan wrote:Can You Forgive Her? is in 6/8 time and Love Is A Catastrophe is in 12/8 time. I know, because I have the sheet music for both

How bizarre!

What sheet music do you have? I have the official original Very songbook and Can you forgive her? notation begins with 12/8!

Burj · #29 Post by **Burj** » Tue 04 Jul 2006, 12:07 pm

stats-freak wrote:Does any music expert know if there's any difference between 3/4 and 6/8 time? I read somewhere (I believe on the Geowayne) website that CYTH is in 3/4, and this is their ONLY single that wasn't in 4/4.

I'd love to know as well - am totally confused by this thread.

davee · #30 Post by **davee** » Tue 04 Jul 2006, 9:11 pm

6/8 (or 12/8) timed music usually has a strong beat at the start of each 6 (or 12) beats, as well as an emphasis on the first of each three beats. In 3/4, there is not usually any different stress between different bars.

I'll try to illustrate:

3/4: -..-..-..-..

6/8: *..-..*..-.. etc.

And, possibly:

12/8: *..-..-..-..*..-..-..-..

Don't know if that makes sense, but that's how I see it.

Just found http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_signature too - that talks about it