UMT Blog

If All Composers Were Consistent...

If all Composers were consistent (or nice, or understood how frustrating it is for Teachers to guess), then it would be obvious. 2-4 Time would show a consistent Quarter Note Basic Beat. 4-8 Time would show a consistent (and separate!) Eighth Note Basic Beat.

What is the Time Signature of the following Melodic Excerpt? Is Example #1 in 2-4 or 4-8 Time?

Of course - the only acceptable answer is 4/8 as it is obvious that the Basic Beat is an eighth note. Let's add the Scoops, Basic Beats and Pulses to prove this:

If you answered Example #1 as 2/4 Time, it would be incorrect.

Did you notice that there is an anacrusis and the final measure of this excerpt is complete? A double bar line that is 2 thin bar lines indicates the end of a section, but not necessarily the end of the music. So it is "okay" for this excerpt to end without completing the anacrusis measure because it is only an excerpt (the actual music would end with the missing beats to complete the anacrusis).

But What Happens When the Basic Beat Isn't Obvious?

However, music is not always about the Basic Beat - it is also about the phrasing, the push and pull of the melodic line - and how notes are grouped to represent that flow.

What happens when the Basic Beat isn't obvious? Are there times when it can be 2-4 or 4-8 Time? Well, let's look at Example #2:

My first choice for Example #2 would be 2/4 Time. Why? Simply because the eighth notes are grouped into groups of 2 eighth notes, which does create a 2 quarter note pulse:

However, if we look at this with an eighth note pulse, it still "works".

Therefore, for Example #2, an answer of 2/4 Time or 4/8 Time would be acceptable.

What Happens when Phrasing is Added and Beams are Grouped Differently?

Let's make this harder - what happens if we add some phrasing and we group the beams differently? Let's look at Example #3:

This phrasing has not only affected the "feel" of the music, it has affected the beaming of the eighth notes. So, how would you feel this music? Is it in 2/4 or 4/8 Time?

My first choice with Example #3 would be 4/8 Time. Why? Let's add Scoops, Basic Beats and Pulses.

The eighth notes and pulses work well in 4/8 Time. It isn't perfect, but the pull of the musical phrase does meet the requirements of 4 eighth note Basic Beats.

My second choice would be 2/4 Time. Again, let's add Scoops, Basic Beats and Pulses.

Although it isn't perfect either, especially in measures 1 and 2, it does fit the rhythm in measures 3 and 4.

2/4 or 4/8 Time? Semantics...

The word "semantics" means "the study of meaning by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form". So I guess this comes down to semantics.

There are definitely times when an excerpt could be in 2-4 or 4-8 Time.

However, there are definitely examples that would be in 4/8 Time but not in 2/4 Time (and visa versa)!

On an exam, it is perfectly acceptable for students to write in Scoops, Basic Beats and Pulses in order to double check (or figure out) the answer. You do not need to erase these either.

However, if you scoop 4 eighth notes, have 4 eighth note Basic Beats and show a S-w-M-w pulse, your answer had better be 4/8 Time and not 2/4 Time!

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