Stop 5 of 6
Time signatures: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 and 6/8
Grouping beats, the waltz, compound time and dynamics.
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Stop 5 of 6
Grouping beats, the waltz, compound time and dynamics.
A march, a waltz and a ballad can share the same tempo and still be recognised instantly. What sets them apart is how the beats are grouped: in twos, in threes, in fours… or in groups of three eighth notes. At this stop you learn to read those groupings, to feel which beats weigh more, and to give your strumming volume and shape.
Listen to three examples. The click doesn't change speed, but in each one the "1" —the higher click and the chord change— comes back every two, every three or every four beats:
Your body notices before your head does: two beats make you want to march; three, to sway; four, to nod along. That repeating sense of weight is called meter, and each grouping has its own character.
The is two stacked numbers at the start of the music:
| Time signature | Said | Contents | Counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/4 | two-four | 2 quarters | 1 2 |
| 3/4 | three-four | 3 quarters | 1 2 3 |
| 4/4 | four-four | 4 quarters | 1 2 3 4 |
| 6/8 | six-eight | 6 eighths | 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 are : each beat is a quarter note and splits into two eighths, "1 & 2 &". 6/8 is different, as you'll see in a moment.
2/4 alternates strong and weak, like two feet walking. It's the meter of marches, the polka and many fast folk rhythms. On guitar it's strummed with short patterns of a single "↓ · ↓↑":
4/4 is the default meter of rock, pop, blues and almost everything on the radio. Its map of weights is strong – weak – medium – weak: beat 3 has a secondary lean, as if the bar were two halves.
On paper, nearly. To the ear, not quite: in 4/4 beat 3 is weaker than beat 1, whereas two bars of 2/4 would have two equally strong "ones". Also, phrasing and chord changes usually follow the written meter: in 4/4 chords change every four beats, not every two. The written meter isn't just arithmetic; it's how the music wants to be felt.
3/4 has one strong beat and two weak ones: ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three. It's the meter of the waltz, many lullabies, slow country and countless folk songs. Its circular sway is unmistakable.
The classic way to accompany a waltz on guitar is bass – chord – chord: on beat 1 you play only the lowest note of the chord (its root) and on beats 2 and 3 you strum the higher strings.
You can also strum a waltz with the pendulum hand. This pattern has six eighths per bar:
Look at these two bars. Both contain six eighth notes, but they don't sound the same:
3/4: three groups of two
6/8: two groups of three
In 3/4 the beams join the eighths in pairs, and the click marks three beats. In 6/8 they're joined in threes, and the click marks two beats, each with three eighths inside: 1 2 3 4 5 6. 6/8 is a : its beats split into three parts, not two. Each beat is worth a dotted quarter.
6/8 gives that rolling sway of slow ballads, Irish jigs and many traditional songs. A widely used pattern is down – down – up in each group of three:
At a slow tempo you can count all six eighths, but as soon as the music picks up, the ear groups them: it feels two long beats, not six short ones. That's why the metronome for 6/8 is set in dotted quarters (♩. = 60, for example). The other compound meters work the same way: 9/8 has three beats of three eighths and 12/8 has four. 12/8 is the meter of slow blues and doo-wop: four beats, each split in three, the same "triplet" you'll meet at the next stop.
Every meter has its strong beats, but you decide how much to mark them. An is a note played louder than those around it, written with a > sign over the note. In strumming, accents make the pattern "talk".
Listen to the difference. In the three examples only the louder downstroke changes:
are volume and how it changes. They're marked with Italian abbreviations below the staff:
| Sign | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pp | pianissimo | very soft |
| p | piano | soft |
| mp | mezzo piano | moderately soft |
| mf | mezzo forte | moderately loud |
| f | forte | loud |
| ff | fortissimo | very loud |
| cresc. / < | crescendo | getting louder |
| dim. / > | diminuendo | getting softer |
On guitar, dynamics depend on the speed of the hand, not the strength of the arm, and on how many strings you hit: fewer strings and a shorter motion = softer. Compare piano and forte with the same pattern:
p (piano)
f (forte)
Play the G, C, D, G waltz from the 3/4 scene. Count "1 2 3" out loud. The bass a little louder; the chords on beats 2 and 3 softer and shorter. Then play it over this 3/4 backing:
Goal: Loop the four waltz bars for one minute, with the bass always on 1, at 96 BPM.
Set the metronome to 60 and feel each click as the start of a group of three eighths. Strum down – down – up in each group and change chord every two beats (one bar of 6/8). Accent the first stroke of each group.
Goal: Strum ↓↓↑ ↓↓↑ on Em–C–G–D for eight bars, feeling two beats per bar, at ♩. = 60.
Strum continuous eighths on G and C (two bars each). Play every stroke at p except those on beats 2 and 4, which go at f. Once it works, switch: a whole verse at p and then at f.
Goal: Keep the accent on 2 and 4 for 8 bars without it drifting to 1 or 3.
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