By Dave Babbitt – Special to the Sydenham Current
I largely write about music, but try not to focus on the musically trained. While I think it important not to talk of music theory that the average person cannot relate to, I’ve written in the past of how important the knowledge of music theory is to any serious musician.
As our band is just embarking on a whole bunch of new music to prepare for our spring concert, it is important that our musicians can read music notation, that language of clefs, notes, key signatures, Italian terminology, articulation and phrasing markings, stylistic and tempo markings, and something called “time signatures,” but one need not understand ANY of that to enjoy music.
However, let me provide a short, simplified introduction to one theoretical concept that I think everyone can understand and closely related to how we “feel” the music.
The overwhelming majority of music is divided into what are known as “bars” or “measures” of a defined value. In simple terms, if one were to add up the value of all the notes and rests in a bar or measure, the number will always be equal. That defined value is indicated at the beginning of every piece of music and is known as the “time signature” I mentioned above.
There are some very strange, modern pieces of music written with no time signature, and I can guarantee that you’ve never heard any of it on any radio station because it simply doesn’t “feel” good. In my opinion, this free-form music is written for music nerds who need something complicated to play… just “because.”
I don’t want to attempt to explain time signatures in a theoretical way, but rather by “feel.” The overwhelming majority of music anyone will encounter in our western music is written in what is referred to as “common time” or, to musicians, in four-four time.
In simple terms, the beat of the music is divided into groupings of four “beats,” which is by far the most common, hence known as “common time.”
Go ahead, turn on CKXS right now and listen to whatever song is currently playing. Tap your foot along to the music and see if you can count to four repeatedly, emphasizing the number ONE. You will find a natural point where beat one falls because beat one is always emphasized, or the strongest one. Even the most musically ignorant will be able to find the four pulses or “beats” in each bar. Virtually all rock and pop music falls into the category of common time, but there are exceptions as fans of more progressive rock bands such as RUSH would be aware of.
As a side note, I believe that the fact that much of jazz is written in more complex time signatures is a large reason why most people don’t enjoy it. It just doesn’t “feel” good. To illustrate my point, head to YouTube and find “Take Five” by the Dave Brubeck Quartet and see if you can tap your toe and count. Good luck.
In an article I wrote long ago, I mentioned a jazz group I heard played in thirteen-sixteen time. That is a bizarre jazz time signature that makes your heart feel as though it just skipped a beat! Common, or four-four time, however, is simple, accessible, and just feels good to most people.
Now that was a long preamble to what I really want to say, and that is while most songs are written in four, some of the world’s favorite music is written in “three,” and I estimate that most are unaware of why this music “feels” so good.
Music written in groupings of three pulses has a gorgeous flow or lilt to it that most find incredibly soothing. If you don’t understand me, count out loud emphasizing the capitalized words: ONE two three, ONE two three, OOM pah pah, OOM pah pah. The rhythm is elegant, palpable, gentle, and smooth. It’s also a welcome departure from the constant barrage of music written in fours.
In days of yore, people commonly danced to music written in three, also referred to as a “waltz.” I vividly recall that when the Brass Factory played for several big band dances in the late mid-90s through early 2000s, whenever we played a song in three, the dance floor quickly filled. It was wonderful watching the dancers as they whirled, glided, and swirled past me as I played in the front of the band. I could feel a gentle breeze as the dancers passed, and with that breeze came smiles that weren’t as noticeable when we played music in four.
While the majority of folk are pop- or rock-oriented and love their music in fours, I can’t help but think that EVERYONE loves a waltz or music in three, making it a shame that there isn’t more of it.
Music written in three can be found in many genres, and I offer the following examples:
Country music includes “The Tennessee Waltz,” “Could I Have This Dance” (the first dance for millions of weddings for a few decades), and Hank Williams Sr.’s “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”
Gospel music features “Amazing Grace,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” and “In the Garden.”
In pop and rock music, examples include “The Piano Man,” “We Are the Champions,” “Find Me Somebody to Love,” “Mull of Kintyre,” “House of the Rising Sun,” Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
Easy listening songs include “Moon River,” “My Favorite Things,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” and “Annie’s Song.”
Classical music examples are “Waltz of the Flowers,” “The Blue Danube Waltz,” “The Skaters Waltz,” and much of the music written by Johann Strauss, known as the “Waltz King.”
Christmas music includes “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Silent Night,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Away in a Manger,” and “Silver Bells.”
Every one of those songs just “feels” so good because of the time signature that they are written in.
Being a pseudo-musician, I tap my foot whenever I listen to music and, like the dancers I mentioned, the music almost always brings a smile to my face. While very little modern music is written in three, as foreign as it may be, whenever it is experienced, it is almost universally loved, and most don’t even know why.
Three-four time. Forgotten in time but loved every time.
