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by tgb
2852 days ago
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I don't think genre literacy counts as a workaround: I think it's really the definition of what is or is not 6/8. The 6/8 time wheel gives a heavy bass drum on the four count. I don't notice such a thing in the waltz every other measure. I'm more familiar with 4/4 time due to the genres I know well, but it's a similar thing there. I used to think that the 1 and the 2 beats were indistinguishable - you can start off by one and it still repeats with period 4. But now I can reliably pick up the difference, generally by listening to where the bass drum lands versus the high hat. However I'm not as good at telling the 1 and 3 counts apart or the first measure in a phrase from the second. These are just more subtle conventions on longer scale. 6/8 and all time signatures are just notations, just ways to encode information about the song. There's a correct answer but yes, it depends upon conventions. You can call it 1/1 time if you want, but it's not going to help you play your part or dance along if the conductor tells you that. |
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Here's 6/8 beat hierarchy:
Beat 1: Strongest
Beat 2: Weak
Beat 3: Weak
Beat 4: Strong
Beat 5: Weak
Beat 6: Weak
The first beat of the measure is the strongest. Beat 4 is strong but typically not as strong as the first beat.
Now here is the 3/4 beat hierarchy for many types of pieces that are in 3/4 time:
Measure 1 Beat 1: Strongest
Measure 1 Beat 2: Weak
Measure 1 Beat 3: Weak
Measure 2 Beat 1: Strong
Measure 2 Beat 2: Weak
Measure 2 Beat 3: Weak
The first beat of the measure 1 is the strongest. Beat 1 of measure 2 is strong but typically not as strong as the first beat of measure 1. These two measure groups typically continue for the entire piece, as in a waltz.
The two are functionally equivalent in terms of rhythm.
It's confusing because there are three variables: the number of beats in a measure (top of the fraction), which duration gets the beat (bottom of the fraction), and the tempo (how long each beat lasts).