Because you need some way to organize the music into units. Music without time signatures, or with extremely long measures (like, say, 11/2) is extraordinarily difficult to read. So you pick the time signature that organizes and communicates the music in the most legible way for the greatest number of (or for the most rhythmically important) musicians.
Sometimes time signatures mean more than that, of course. But sometimes they convey no information about phrasing, and their only function is to help players keep their place in the music. Cheers, - DJA ----- WEB: http://www.secretsocietymusic.org On Dec 17, 2012, at 7:13 PM, Jón Kristinn Cortez <[email protected]> wrote: > I understand your point. So I wonder, why use a time-signature at all if it > does not have any meaning! > > Cortez > > > On 17.12.2012, at 23:59, Darcy James Argue wrote: > >> Hi Cortez, >> >> My reasons are perfectly logical, as I explained, and are the best solution >> for the musicians I work with. >> >> In a contemporary context, people employ odd subdivisions of meters *all the >> time* without changing time signatures. >> >> 4/4 is very often subdivided 3+3+2. >> >> 3/4 is very often subdivided 3+3 without renotating the time signature as >> 6/8. >> >> 5/4 can go back and forth between 6+4, 4+6, and 5+5, and other >> subdivisions... >> >> 3/2 can be subdivided as if it were 12/8 (3+3+3+3). I have a piece that is >> written in 3/2 and goes back and forth between 4+4+4 and 3+3+3+3 every other >> measure. Writing a time signature change every measure would be needless >> clutter. >> >> Of course, subdivisions can also go over the barline... There's another >> contemporary composer who regularly subdivides two measures of 3/4 (in >> sixteenths) as 7+7+7+3. It's kind of his rhythmic signature. >> >> This kind of thing happens all the time in contemporary music. >> >> Cheers, >> >> - DJA >> ----- >> WEB: http://www.secretsocietymusic.org >> >> On Dec 17, 2012, at 6:35 PM, Jón Kristinn Cortez <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> There is no logical reason to have 6/4 doing double duty; being both a >>> duple and triple meter is confusing. In the example you state I would have >>> written 4 bars 4/4 and one 2/4. By your way I would always have to check >>> where the beat is in 6/4. What about 3/4 and 6/8? >>> >>> Cortez >>> >>> >>> >>> On 17.12.2012, at 23:18, Darcy James Argue wrote: >>> >>>> That is the traditional view. My own view is that 6/4 with the half note >>>> getting the beat is perfectly acceptable and logical in a modern context, >>>> especially if you're dealing with a mix of, e.g., 4/4 and 6/4. >>>> >>>> I have a piece where the time signature pattern is always 3 bars of 4/4 >>>> followed by a bar of 6/4 (subdivided in 3). It would be confusing to write >>>> those measures as 3/2 instead of 6/4 -- it would suggest that the >>>> underlying unit of pulse changes, when it does not. >>>> >>>> I have other pieces where the subdivision changes constantly from 2+2+2 to >>>> 3+3 and back, and it would be ridiculously cluttered to change time >>>> signatures every time that happens. There's no logical reason why 6/4 >>>> can't be made to do double duty. >>>> >>>> Cheers, >>>> >>>> - DJA >>>> ----- >>>> N.B. Please note my new email address: [email protected] >>>> Kindly update your Address Book, thanks! >>>> >>>> WEB: http://www.secretsocietymusic.org >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Dec 17, 2012, at 5:47 PM, Jón Kristinn Cortez <[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> >>>>> Three beats with a half note for the beat is 3/2, can never be 6/4 >>>>> >>>>> Cortez >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On 17.12.2012, at 22:39, Darcy James Argue wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Hi William, >>>>>> >>>>>> It's not a bug. Traditionally, 6/4 is a compound meter -- two beats per >>>>>> measure, dotted half note has the beat. That's why Finale shows only two >>>>>> slashes (and will add dots if you have "add dots to slashes in compound >>>>>> meter checked). >>>>>> >>>>>> If you want your 6/4 to be three beats per measure with the half note >>>>>> getting the beat, you can set up those options in the Time Signature >>>>>> dialogue box. >>>>>> >>>>>> Cheers, >>>>>> >>>>>> - DJA >>>>>> ----- >>>>>> WEB: http://www.secretsocietymusic.org >>>>>> >>>>>> On Dec 17, 2012, at 5:30 PM, William Sinclair <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I have not seen this before. Have any of you? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> When I have a measure of 6/4, and I use SLASH notation, >>>>>>> it puts only 2 slashes for a 6/4 measure. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Is there a way around this problem? I want to avoid a HAND edit. >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>> Finale mailing list >>>>>>> [email protected] >>>>>>> http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> Finale mailing list >>>>>> [email protected] >>>>>> http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> Finale mailing list >>>>> [email protected] >>>>> http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale >>>> >>>> Cheers, >>>> >>>> - DJA >>>> ----- >>>> WEB: http://www.secretsocietymusic.org >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Finale mailing list >>>> [email protected] >>>> http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Finale mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Finale mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale > > > _______________________________________________ > Finale mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
