[ethic]

I cannot understand time signatures. Here's what I know.

4/4

The top numbers is the number of beats per measure; the bottom number is the note duration (?). Right? But, I can't seem to apply that knowledge to anything practical. I don't necessarily understand it. Like, how do I count? And is there a certain, um, speed you should count at? Are time signatures dependant on tempo? I mean, do they have anything to do with bpm? How do you count the weird-looking signatures (6/8, etc). I just bought a metronome. Have no idea what I'm doing with it.

Triplets, etc are also confusing. Please help. I'm totally lost. =D

[cshude]

http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/13ts.html
That should answer most of your questions. In regards to bpm, many times it is a matter of translating the Italian descriptions into the bpm- here's just a bit of info on that:
Basic tempo markings

From fastest to slowest, the common tempo markings are:

* Prestissimo 200 - 208
* Vivacissimo
* Allegrissimo
* Presto 168 - 200
* Vivo
* Vivace 140
* Allegro 120 - 168
* Allegretto
* Moderato 108 - 120
* Andantino
* Andante 76 - 108
* Adagietto
* Larghetto 60 - 66
* Lento
* Adagio 66 - 76
* Largo 40 - 60
* Lentissimo
* Adagissimo
* Larghissimo

All of these markings are based on a few root words such as 'allegro', 'largo', 'adagio', 'vivace', 'presto' 'andante' and 'lento'. By adding the -issimo ending the word is amplified, by adding the -ino ending the word is diminished, and by adding the -etto ending the word is endeared.

Common Qualifiers

* assai - very, as in Allegro assai (but also understood by some as "enough")
* con brio - with vigor
* con moto - with motion
* non troppo - not too much, e.g. Allegro non troppo (or Allegro ma non troppo) means "Fast, but not too much."
* non tanto - not so much
* molto - very, as in Molto Allegro or "Adagio Molto"
* poco - slightly, as in Poco Adagio
* più - more, as in Più Allegro; used as a relative indication when the tempo changes
* meno - less, as in Meno Presto
* In addition to the common "Allegretto," composers freely apply Italian diminutive and superlative suffixes to various tempo indications: Andantino, Larghetto, Adagietto, Larghissimo.

Mood markings with a tempo connotation

Some markings that primarily mark a mood (or character) also have a tempo connotation:

* Vivace - lively (which generally indicates a rather fast movement)
* Maestoso - majestic or stately (which generally indicates a solemn, slow movement)
* Sostenuto - Sustained, sometimes with a slackening of tempo.

If you are playing songs that you are already familiar with, especially pop/rock songs and most folk songs, this is overkill. 90+% are written in 4/4 time (4 beats to the measure). If you are already familiar with the song, you'll know the tempo. When working on a new song with tricky areas, what you want to do is start working on it slowly, perhaps as much as 50% of the tempo of the song. Work your way up to the actual playing tempo as you get better in those passages that give you trouble.

Hope this has helped at least a little bit. THere's a ton of information on the net for you on both of those subjects.

[knight46]

Chris,
Nice answer...

[Jove d'Ark]

In time signatures,
The Top number Yes, tells how many beats to the bar. The bottom one Yes, tells the duration or TYPE of note value you are using as your benchmark. So 4/4 stipulates that there are 4 beats in each bar and that YOU are using CROTCHETS as the common denominator.This, However, does NOT mean that each bar has to hold 4 crotchets, but that the beat values used Must ADD up to 4 Crotchets. Therefore you can have a dotted minim=(3 Crotchets) and 2 qauvers=(1 Crotchet).Or any number of minims, quavers, semiquavers et al. Does that make sense.
As to 'Triplets" This simply means that 3 notes of ANY Beat value are played within the space of 2 Corresponding Note Values. So if you see 3 quavers with a 3 above them, this SIMPLY means that you have to play these 3 notes within the exact time frame you would normally play 2.
Try practicing hard rhythms by clapping them first. I Always tell my students that if you Cannot CLAP a rhythm you will NEVER play it. So, Try this,
On you knee, use your left hand to play quavers SLOWLY saying one and, 2 and etc. Now with your Right hand sync it in, but add an EXTRA clap by saying Trip-A-Let.
BOTH hands Must coincide at Trip and Let, but the Right hand will add an extra at -A-
This will work for ALL note values.
As to tempo, there is only ONE Rule. SLOW, SLOW and SLOWER, Until you have said piece Firmly locked within your mind and "Under"You Fingers.
Once you get to there, you THEN work at getting it "Up to Speed". T You can refer to charts of Italian terms which are standardised into recommended b.p.m.
Many pieces of written score will have at the top a pic of a crotchet or chosen note value accompanied by a mm 120 as example.
This means Metronome is at 120 b.p.m
When trying to play pieces of you fave. music that has no definitive direction you can do 2 things.
A) rely on your ears and try and play along with a recording,or
B) Listen to the recording, try to grasp the time signature and speed in your head, then tweak your Metronome to that setting.
If you Do NOT Own a metronome, then get one Immediately.And use it CONSTANTLY. It will drive you INSANE, but eventually it will instill within your mind an Infallable sense of Timing which you will Never regret.
A word about 'Nomes. Never by a "Wind up, Pendulum " version. Get a battery powered digital version, which ALSO has a Light meter.
Believe me that incessant "click,click' gets very maddening Especially when You are have trouble 'Getting it Right".
You can reduce the stress by sticking tape over the speaker outlet to reduce the volume, but when it becomes TOO much, you can switch that annoying mofo click off, and follow the pretty, silent, Flashing light.
Hope this has been some help.

[Fretsource]

I thought I'd better translate Jove's use of British English note durations as most members worldwide only know the far more logical American system.

Minim = half note
Crotchet = quarter note
quaver = eighth note

[Stratrat]

Originally Posted by ethic

...The top numbers is the number of beats per measure; the bottom number is the note duration (?). Right? But, I can't seem to apply that knowledge to anything practical. I don't necessarily understand it. Like, how do I count? And is there a certain, um, speed you should count at? Are time signatures dependant on tempo? I mean, do they have anything to do with bpm?

Your other questions have been answered in pretty good detail, so I'll take a stab at this one. The time signature has nothing at all to do with the bpm of the song. You can play a 4/4 song at 30 bpm or 200 bpm.....either way, your 'count' will be "One and two and three and four and one and two and three and four and....". If it's a 3/4 song, there are only 3 beats to a bar, so you'll count "One and two and three and one and two and three and....". The count will be the same - the bpm will just dictate how fast you count it.

[Jove d'Ark]

Yep!
Its as simple as that.

[ethic]

Originally Posted by Stratrat

Your other questions have been answered in pretty good detail, so I'll take a stab at this one. The time signature has nothing at all to do with the bpm of the song. You can play a 4/4 song at 30 bpm or 200 bpm.....either way, your 'count' will be "One and two and three and four and one and two and three and four and....". If it's a 3/4 song, there are only 3 beats to a bar, so you'll count "One and two and three and one and two and three and....". The count will be the same - the bpm will just dictate how fast you count it.

What if it's something like 6/8 time or something.. How do you count that? Or 5/4?

[Fretsource]

5/4 is straightforward, exactly like 3/4 and 4/4: count "one two three four five" or add the half beats as Stratrat's done "one and two and three and four and five and"

6/8 is a special case though.

1 2 3 4 5 6

It's called a compound time signature because it really has two main beats which I've underlined in bold, and each of those beats contains 3 sub beats. That's where the 6 comes from/ (3x2 =6)

but it's usually counted as two beats, such as:
One and and two and and

[ethic]

Hi. Me again. I got a metronome. Have no idea how to apply to anything.

[Fretsource]

Why did you buy it? Do you have a problem keeping in time when you play and the metronome is to improve your abilty to keep the beat?

Or do you want to use it as a speed trainer - like learning to play scales, etc. faster and faster?

Let us know what you want to use it for and we'll try to explain how.

[Nutty]

Tip for counting triplets. Simply say, one trip-let, two trip-let, three trip-let etc. as you are playing and it will spread the timing out evenly for you.

Good luck.

Nutty

[ethic]

Originally Posted by Fretsource

Why did you buy it? Do you have a problem keeping in time when you play and the metronome is to improve your abilty to keep the beat?

Or do you want to use it as a speed trainer - like learning to play scales, etc. faster and faster?

Let us know what you want to use it for and we'll try to explain how.

Sorta both. I never really thought I had trouble keeping time until I started recording myself. Turns out I'm not as good as I thought I was. It's weird. It sounds good when I'm playing it, but when I listen to it after I've recorded it.. I don't know what happened.

[Fretsource]

You could try practising without the guitar first by clapping. Set it to a fairly slow tempo of about 60 BPM and clap on each beat, and then two claps (count "one and") and then three claps per beat (count them as Nutty says "one trip-let, two trip-let")

Then try it on guitar with repeated notes on a single open string.
Then with chord strums.

As a speed trainer set it slow (about 40) and play a scale - one note per click. If you feel that you can match one note per click quite easily, increase the tempo gradually until you find the tempo that is too fast for you.
Drop down a few notches and practise at a comfortable slower tempo for a while then try the slightly faster one again - eventually you'll get it.

When practising at a slow tempo make sure every note is clean and long and make sure they don't lose quality as your speed increases.

[testekleez]

A helpful tool to demonstrate what they're talking about is Guitar Pro

You can see it all go down while it's being played. It will help you understand the relationship of bpm and time signatures. You can set it to a weird time signature and it will tick it for you with the metronome accenting the beats.

You can see the tab and notation, along with the notes being played on the fretboard and on piano. It won't teach you how to read music but it will help you see the relationships.

http://www.guitar-pro.com

I think you'll find it very helpful seeing what these guys are talking about in action.

If you're in 4/4 time, a quarter note (4 means 100% of the beats in the bar so a quarter, or 25% is one beat/note played for the beat) gets one beat per tic, so four notes/chords played in the bar. You divide the number of beats in the bar by the note. An eighth note means play two notes for every beat/tic. Sixteenth, doubles that and so on.

Hope that makes sense just elaborating a bit on what others have already stated.