Caulfield: Music comes from the heart, right? Frazz: Right! Caulfield: Then where do waltzes come from? Frazz: True. Hearts don't beat in 3/4 time. Caulfield: And how on earth did Dave Brubeck survive playing "take five"?
Where the jukebox is blastin’ and the liquor is flowin’ An occasional bottle of wine That’s ‘cause everyone here is just more than contented To be livin’ and dyin’ in three-quarter time
For all you non-musicians out there, there is no such thing as three quarter time. It is called three-four time, referring to the number of beats in a single measure and the note value (in this case, a quarter note, or one quarter of a whole note). This is called the time signature.
There were early attempts to ban the waltz for that reason..I thought Johnny Desmond did Take Five.’The only 9/8 I knew were Beautiful Dreamer and Blessed Assurance. If you want something really jarring, try the former tune with the latter lyrics. Make sure you have had your insulin..Strod: In grams per meter per joule, the most efficient is a man on a 15 speed bicycle. If you don’t think that is practical, how quickly they forget the Ho Chi Minh Trail..Rapid change in tempo is quite common these days. High school bands do it in competition quite regularly.
I first thought 2/4 time, but the beats aren’t regular, so maybe it is 3/4 – with a rest at the end of the bar. But that rest is longer than the interval between the beats. 5/4 might actually be closer. So maybe DAVE BRUBECK WAS ON TO SOMETHING AFTER ALL – but it was Paul Desmond who actually wrote “Take Five”
How about “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” as long as you’re on Brubeck? But probably 98% of Hank Levy’s compositions were in odd time signatures (and I loved playing them). It’s somewhat axiomatic that when he put a 4/4 chart in front of his Towson State University jazz ensembles, they could hardly play the things!
Was listening to an older Brubeck album recently. On it Paul Desmond played “Eleven Four,” which was both the name of the piece and its time signature. It was over four minutes long, and at the end everyone was out of breath — including the listeners. Made “Take Five” sound like child’s play.
QuiteDragon: It was first recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. but Desmond wrote it and is featured on the alto sax (his usual instrument in the Quartet). Thus my statement about Desmond did it. It is still a great piece.
Sorry to be nitpicky, but it was Paul Desmond, not Johnny. He was one of the few saxophonists (along with Coltrane and Charlie Parker) I could recognize even with knowing the song.
dps1943 about 9 years ago
“Money” by Pink Floyd is partly in 7/8 time.
peter about 9 years ago
Well, that explains why they split up then. ;-)
peter about 9 years ago
Not to mention “Apocalypse in 9/8”…
Stellagal about 9 years ago
Did anyone check John Cage’s heart during 4’33"?
Bilan about 9 years ago
A man’s heart beats at 3/4 time when he sees the low-cut gowns the women wear to waltzes.
Pedmar Premium Member about 9 years ago
Tchaikovsky wrote a 5/4 waltz in one of his symphonies.
whiteheron about 9 years ago
Sorry, but I gotta go with Jimmy Buffet “Living and Dying in Three Quarter Time” ……again.
StratmanRon about 9 years ago
Along the same lines, some of Rush’s music was odd time signatures. YYZ: 5/4, Earthshine: 11/8, Subdivisions: 7/8
moonlgt Premium Member about 9 years ago
And Brubeck’s “Unsquare Dance” was in 7/4!
Strod about 9 years ago
Sure, and the comment is: Bikers ride vehicles that are not very fuel efficient.* That’s all.
Of course that’s relative to what they can carry. Motorcycles, even big ones, obviously get more MPG than average cars.matzam Premium Member about 9 years ago
luckily I know nothing about time in music. I can just enjoy listening to it
russellc64 about 9 years ago
Where the jukebox is blastin’ and the liquor is flowin’ An occasional bottle of wine That’s ‘cause everyone here is just more than contented To be livin’ and dyin’ in three-quarter time
coloharpare Premium Member about 9 years ago
They do in Sweden! Most Swedish traditional music is in 3/4—LUB dub, dub, LUB dub,dub….
JanLC about 9 years ago
For all you non-musicians out there, there is no such thing as three quarter time. It is called three-four time, referring to the number of beats in a single measure and the note value (in this case, a quarter note, or one quarter of a whole note). This is called the time signature.
hippogriff about 9 years ago
There were early attempts to ban the waltz for that reason..I thought Johnny Desmond did Take Five.’The only 9/8 I knew were Beautiful Dreamer and Blessed Assurance. If you want something really jarring, try the former tune with the latter lyrics. Make sure you have had your insulin..Strod: In grams per meter per joule, the most efficient is a man on a 15 speed bicycle. If you don’t think that is practical, how quickly they forget the Ho Chi Minh Trail..Rapid change in tempo is quite common these days. High school bands do it in competition quite regularly.
Rush Strong Premium Member about 9 years ago
Here’s Dave Brubeck surviving Take Five in five-four time.
South2North about 9 years ago
I first thought 2/4 time, but the beats aren’t regular, so maybe it is 3/4 – with a rest at the end of the bar. But that rest is longer than the interval between the beats. 5/4 might actually be closer. So maybe DAVE BRUBECK WAS ON TO SOMETHING AFTER ALL – but it was Paul Desmond who actually wrote “Take Five”
GoBlue about 9 years ago
How about “The Ocean” by Led Zeppelin.. Mixed meter. Does that mean someone needs a pacemaker?
Seed_drill about 9 years ago
Brubeck must have been in afib.
K M about 9 years ago
How about “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” as long as you’re on Brubeck? But probably 98% of Hank Levy’s compositions were in odd time signatures (and I loved playing them). It’s somewhat axiomatic that when he put a 4/4 chart in front of his Towson State University jazz ensembles, they could hardly play the things!
Kind&Kinder about 9 years ago
Don’t know if someone’s mentioned it, but Brubeck’s “Unsquare Dance” beats ’em all for crazy rhythms. One of my favorites.
badeckman about 9 years ago
louieglutz about 9 years ago
time further out, its full of them…
louieglutz about 9 years ago
time further out, its full of them…
louieglutz about 9 years ago
time further out, its full of them…
tomielm about 9 years ago
Was listening to an older Brubeck album recently. On it Paul Desmond played “Eleven Four,” which was both the name of the piece and its time signature. It was over four minutes long, and at the end everyone was out of breath — including the listeners. Made “Take Five” sound like child’s play.
chromosome Premium Member about 9 years ago
Gustav Holst wrote the most famous of his Planet pieces, Mars, in 5/4 time.
colcam about 9 years ago
The heart beats in perfect time, but the soul soars beyond time.
hippogriff about 9 years ago
QuiteDragon: It was first recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. but Desmond wrote it and is featured on the alto sax (his usual instrument in the Quartet). Thus my statement about Desmond did it. It is still a great piece.
childe_of_pan over 7 years ago
Sorry to be nitpicky, but it was Paul Desmond, not Johnny. He was one of the few saxophonists (along with Coltrane and Charlie Parker) I could recognize even with knowing the song.