Time changes in songs give a different color to the song, that makes it worth making a remark about, as stated in the article.
The first time I was confronted with this sort of songwriting was with Dream Theater’s Images and Words album. It got my attention BECAUSE it was different than a mainstream rock album. Don’t get me wrong, I think 4/4 is essential to songwriting since that is how our body clock works, but bringing in odd time signatures to freshen up a song and the listener’s ears, can bring a lot of value to an artist’s music.
“…bringing in odd time signatures to freshen up a song and the listener’s ears, can bring a lot of value to an artist’s music.”
Exactly! When looking for songs that use odd time signatures in preparation for writing this article, I was surprised to find many hit songs that use mixed time signatures. Often the song would switch the metre when entering different structural elements (i.e. 7/8 for the verse moving to 4/4 for the chorus, or having an intro of 13/8, or a bridge done in 9/16). This is certainly a good way to distinguish one part from the next, and would be most effective if the feeling imparted mirrored the lyrical content.
May 16, 2009 at 2:09 am
Great article. I really enjoyed reading it.
Time changes in songs give a different color to the song, that makes it worth making a remark about, as stated in the article.
The first time I was confronted with this sort of songwriting was with Dream Theater’s Images and Words album. It got my attention BECAUSE it was different than a mainstream rock album. Don’t get me wrong, I think 4/4 is essential to songwriting since that is how our body clock works, but bringing in odd time signatures to freshen up a song and the listener’s ears, can bring a lot of value to an artist’s music.
May 16, 2009 at 7:20 am
“…bringing in odd time signatures to freshen up a song and the listener’s ears, can bring a lot of value to an artist’s music.”
Exactly! When looking for songs that use odd time signatures in preparation for writing this article, I was surprised to find many hit songs that use mixed time signatures. Often the song would switch the metre when entering different structural elements (i.e. 7/8 for the verse moving to 4/4 for the chorus, or having an intro of 13/8, or a bridge done in 9/16). This is certainly a good way to distinguish one part from the next, and would be most effective if the feeling imparted mirrored the lyrical content.
Thanks for your comments!