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Compound Time - Can You Hear & Feel It?
Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 Topic Rating: 5 (4 votes) 
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ELCBK
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September 19, 2022 - 9:32 pm
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Just recently have become aware of 6/8, 9/8 & 12/8 compound meters used for Scottish marches, in the Scottish Piper Tunes Played on The Fiddle Thread

Sometimes (and for good reason) eyebrows are raised at thesession.org - when 6/8 Marches are identified/played as Jigs. 

Basic Theory: The 6/8 March

https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/203319/7fda01b16e56846e1d3225ecd95a401c7cc2b344/original/jig-vs-68-march.jpg/!!/meta%3AeyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ%3D%3D.jpgImage Enlarger

For accurate representation of Meter (Metre) in a score, there's 3 things - Time Signature, Bar Lines, and notes grouped together in units of ONE beat.  (info from pipebanddrummer.com)

 

 

 

 

 

"How to Count Odd Meters" - Rick Beato 

 

 

 

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cb/13/dd/cb13dd24c14bc35bf18d592e1cdb5076.jpg

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ELCBK
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September 20, 2022 - 2:11 am
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I didn't realize how common Compound Time is for more than Scottish Marches! 

"Songs That Use 12/8 Time" (David Bennet Piano)

 

Seeing it's used for the Blues! 

Here's a "12/8 Blues Backing Track in A" (more at Innkeeper Studio Backing Tracks Channel).  There's even scale suggestions for improv in the Video description! 🤗 

 

EVERYONE LOVES Claude Debussy's "Clair de Lune"! 

...it's 9/8 Compound Time! 

 

 

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/37/89/5e/37895e0b0fd5e27b7078005dbb383899.jpg

IMHO, understanding & hearing these different Compound Times can help with expression in our playing - even if down the road. (lol)  It also really pays off listening to, and playing, different music genres!  

- Emily

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AndrewH
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September 20, 2022 - 2:51 am
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Compound time is very common in traditional music. Irish jigs are 6/8 and slip jigs are 9/8, for example.

 

In general, think about whether the beat is split into twos or threes. If it's in threes, it's compound time; the whole idea of compound time is to avoid writing everything in triplets.

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ELCBK
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September 20, 2022 - 6:34 am
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@AndrewH -

Yes, but compare a 6/8 March to a 6/8 Jig (like in my OP here). 

Most people DON'T play a 'Jig' like that diagram!  They play it like the 6/8 March - but I've also seen it called a 'Double Jig'

I thought a March and a Jig should feel different. 🥴

 

I'll probably pull out my hair from notation craziness in traditional music - especially trad Irish... seen people will call a 12/8 slide a 'Jig' & there's been many discussions about Irish music not being notated the way it's played (or vise versa).  Old books aren't even helpful. 

Traditional music still drives me nuts for giving different names to tunes that are essentially the same notes, but different timing - sometimes it's the same tune, just a different key.  I'm still trying to learn to recognize when this occurs. 

 

Wondering if I'm just inundated with so many ways to subdivide the beats, with different beat strengths adding to the mess - concentrating too much on the subdivisions of each single beat, then not sure I hear/recognize when a measure ends (without seeing it written).  

...my brain really only wants to hear "one, two", or "one, two, three" - that's it. 😞 

- Emily

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ABitRusty
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September 20, 2022 - 6:58 am
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i think theres a bigger difference between a slide and jig and a jig and a march.  And the similarities between a jig and march wull disappear the faster you play a jig, provided youve swung it a little to begin with.  You cant march as fast as you can jig..😉

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ELCBK
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September 20, 2022 - 7:26 am
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@ABitRusty -

You've got a point... now, how fast until it transforms into a Reel? 😄 

I'd love a line chart, indicating speeds where all the common types of trad fiddle tunes, from slowest, to the fastest, fit - then all tunes tucked into their proper category.  

...I must be dreaming. 

 

More Adam Neely to help drill 9/8 into my head.   

Instead of Compound Time, how about the OTHER direction?

Okay... this is too cool.  

 

...I'm going to go mess me up some music, now. 🤗 

 

HEY!  What the heck?

 

Sorry, the last of my nonsense... promise... for now.

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ABitRusty
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September 20, 2022 - 9:45 am
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@elcbk said ".. now, how fast until it transforms into a Reel?"

using amazing slow downers speed up function, the point the strong beats on 1 and 4 start resembling 2/4 is around 400-600% depending on the source recording.   But, you have to export and reimport the file a couple of times and repeat the process.   Hope that is helpful.

 

like the fusion jazz videos btw!

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ELCBK
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September 20, 2022 - 2:52 pm
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@ABitRusty -

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fb/62/38/fb62388fa27e206998207f772a80e639.jpg

Faster!  Faster! 

 

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ABitRusty
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September 20, 2022 - 3:34 pm
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ELCBK said

@ABitRusty -

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fb/62/38/fb62388fa27e206998207f772a80e639.jpg

Faster!  Faster! 

 

  

thought youd get a kick out of that.  😁

I was also trying to find the point that the music becomes just one steady tone but i think id need some compression for that.  Its close at around 800% to some steady freqency...or high tone.

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