Time Signatures

Time Signatures

8 thoughts on “Time Signatures”

    1. Warren McPherson
      Warren McPherson

      @Cassandra Hargrove
      No—12/8 is not the same as 3/4. The closest simple-meter “equivalent” is 4/4 with continuous triplet (shuffle) subdivision, which is why 4/4 is the best alternate answer.

      Why 3/4 doesn’t work:

      12/8 = compound quadruple: 4 beats per bar, each beat is a dotted quarter subdivided into 3 eighths. Count: 1-la-li, 2-la-li, 3-la-li, 4-la-li. Backbeat typically on 2 and 4.

      3/4 = simple triple: 3 beats per bar, each beat is a quarter subdivided into 2 eighths. Count: 1-&, 2-&, 3-&.

      So 12/8 has four beats organized as 3+3+3+3 eighths; 3/4 has three beats organized as 2+2+2 eighths. They feel different, place accents differently, and don’t line up without changing note values and the groove.

Leave a Reply

Scroll to Top