SteveCoscia Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 A section of Jethro Tull's "Thick As A Brick" is in 5/4. The left hand bass riff is good counterpoint to the right hand organ melody. Great fun to play. Quote Steve Coscia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotiDave Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 'Touch and Go' by The Cars is in 5/4 (well, the intro and verses anyway). Does #37 on the US charts count as a hit? I used to play this song in a Cars tribute. Actually, its trickier than just 5/4 as the keys and vocals are in 4/4 time while the bass and drums run in 5/4 in the intro/verse and constantly trying to kick you off of 4/4. Wiki says guitar is in 4/4 but i recall the guitarist hitting random strum chords - he seemed closer to the 5/4 clique than the 4/4, it always felt to me that keys and vocals were alone in 4/4 while the rest of the band was somewhere else. I could nail it fine but the damn singer kept fucking up his entry spots - I had to start throwing stuff at him. The song comes together in 4/4 time in the chorus and everyone syncs up. Weird beat in that one. Quote The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Wow never thought about it much. Quote "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morrissey Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Man, there isn't a deep catalog of tunes in 5/4. If I may add in about a multiple of 5/4 -- 10/4 -- I dig the Grateful Dead's "Playing in the Band." During the sung portions of the song, the rhythm is probably most fairly counted as two bars of 4/4 followed by one bar of 2/4, but some of the instrumental portions can be reasonably counted as measures of 5/4. Too hard to count all the way to ten! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PianoMan51 Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 There are , IMHO, two ways of dealing with odd time signatures: let them flow over you, or dive into it, figure out what they"re doing, and take charge. The first is for them , the later is for us. (Musos). I listened to First Circle a bunch of times before I moved into the 'just what the hell is he doing?" mode. The transformation from passive to active listening was an unexpected source of joy. But getting on that bus requires a laser intent and commitment. Do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manolios Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 When it comes to 5/4 time, we can all learn from the great Austin McBride: [video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK_j2LE07G0 Or from his brilliant drummer: [video:youtube] Quote Yamaha C3 | CP4 | CK88 | P-121 | Sauter 108 Studio | Schimmel 112 | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Wow that guy is great â he can play different time signatures simultaneously! Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillearning Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Speaking of odd time signatures... [video:youtube] Quote I would like to apologize to anyone I have not yet offended. Please be patient and I will get to you shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brenner13 Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 I"m a 7/8 kind of fellow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamuelBLupowitz Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 There's also the clearly-influenced-by-Take-5 "Everything's Alright" from Jesus Christ Superstar. In my high school jazz band, we played a Stan Kenton chart called "Decoupage" that was in 5/4, and it was gorgeous. It helped that we had a stellar trombone section. There's also a tune on my first solo album that goes in and out of 5/4 (might be more accurate to call it 5/8) from 4/4, and then into 6/8 at the end. The thing these all have in common? They all swing. I'm sure I've heard tunes that are in 5 (3+2 or 2+3) that don't swing, but that meter seems to really lend itself to swing... maybe it's just because we've all heard Take 5 so much! Quote Samuel B. Lupowitz Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richforman Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 The very popular top 40 tune "Hey Ya," which I've covered, has its main hook in 5 time also IIRC. Back in the 90's fooling around with my Ensoniq VFX-SD onboard sequencer, I composed and produced my own attempt at a little fusiony thing in 5/4 that I cleverly (obliquely referencing Brubeck's "Take 5 ") titled "Gimme 5." And of course "Mission Impossible"! Maybe the biggest 5/4 pop tune of all. Used to do that one part of the family-introductions segment in a wedding band. Quote Rich Forman Yamaha MOXF8, Korg Kronos 2-61, Roland Fantom X7, Ferrofish B4000+ organ module, Roland VR-09, EV ZLX12P, K&M Spider Pro stand, Yamaha S80, Korg Trinity Plus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philtre71 Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Not 5/4, but currently doing Solsbury Hill with the band (mostly 7/8 with the occasional 4/4 bar thrown in). Need to stop counting out the 'one two three" before we play live! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 The verses of "Long Distance Runaround" by Yes is a polyrhythm. The snare hits are on beat 1 of a 5/4 meter while everything else is 4/4 meter. Count it out... Bruford is one clever musician. I actually wrote a song in 5/4... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Pick up the pieces - average white band. 5/4 parts at the breaks. Quote 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Pick up the pieces - average white band. 5/4 parts at the breaks. You may be mistaken here, unless there"s a version I"m not aware of - or I can"t count! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irena Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Sting's "Seven Days". The usual 3+2, but Vinnie manages to make it slyly interesting--some clever accents within the hi-hat patterns. Quote B/Midiboard/VirusKC/Matrix12/EX5/Maschine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBarker Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Is 7/8 even considered an odd time signature anymore? Half the time people don't even notice. 7/4 is even danceable. 5/4 definitely makes people notice, 7/8 is just a fun groove. Most rock groups who aren't 100% punk will eventually write something in 7/8 I figure. It's pretty organic. Quote Puck Funk! Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Williams Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 One more Emerson w/ Powell: Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War. Quote -Tom Williams {First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marzzz Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 7/4 is counted 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 (or maybe 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 4) I count it one-two-three-four-five-six-sev-ven Works for me!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_OA Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Take 5 obviously, as I played a lot of jazz standards last couple of years. Played the theme song from Riverdance with an orchestra once: 9/8, 7/8 and 4/4 in one piece, often switching every few measures. That was fun. Quote Trumpet player by trade, but fell in love with keys too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 The not so well known 5/4 version of New York New York sung by true New Yorkers: Bump bum ba de ump bum-bum-bum (triplet) Bump bum ba de ump bum-bum-bum (triplet) Bump bum ba de ump bum-bum-bum (triplet) Bump "Start spreading the f$%^king news..." dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 [video:youtube] Quote "The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk) The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PianoMan51 Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 7/4 is counted 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 (or maybe 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 4) I count it one-two-three-four-five-six-sev-ven Works for me!? That"s brilliant! Now counting in sev-en works for everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richforman Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Yes (no pun intended) on "Long Distance Runaround," I was covering that a few years back and remember playing chordal stabs every fifth beat with my left hand against the straight 4/4 eighth-note chords in the right. I had to make a cheat sheet indicating when to do those stabs. Quote Rich Forman Yamaha MOXF8, Korg Kronos 2-61, Roland Fantom X7, Ferrofish B4000+ organ module, Roland VR-09, EV ZLX12P, K&M Spider Pro stand, Yamaha S80, Korg Trinity Plus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Is 7/8 even considered an odd time signature anymore? Half the time people don't even notice. 7/4 is even danceable. 5/4 definitely makes people notice, 7/8 is just a fun groove. Most rock groups who aren't 100% punk will eventually write something in 7/8 I figure. It's pretty organic. Yes you can dance to 7/8 meter. I've seen it done many times when I cover Tom Sawyer. There was a professional line dancing group in town and they stopped by the venue we were playing to give the audience a sample of their moves. Very good group. Then we decided to challenge them with Tom Sawyer and they breezed through all the meter changes. One of the few times I was dumbfounded. It was awe-inspiring to watch from the stage. The band gave them a round of applause, they were so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuzikTeechur Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 I've played a lot of tunes in 5/4 - when you accompany musicals it goes with the territory. Also, a lot of the concert band tunes I teach/conduct will go into 5/4 time. It's just another time signature. If the music demands it, you write in 5/4. Quote Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine. HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBarker Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Yes (no pun intended) on "Long Distance Runaround," I was covering that a few years back and remember playing chordal stabs every fifth beat with my left hand against the straight 4/4 eighth-note chords in the right. I had to make a cheat sheet indicating when to do those stabs. Underrated gem to be sure. My wife and I used to cover it, then I brought it to my Irish fiddle band, and we had the fiddle player do the stabs. I tend to do the stabs in the R.H as accidents. I leave the low-end free for those awesome bass runs, which I used to double. Playing that one on solo piano is a total mind-bender. 5/4 over 4/4 with the bass constantly moving on and off the beat. I love learning that kind of split-brain stuff! Total Chris Squire masterpiece. It's pretty clear he spearheaded that one, and his vocal harmonies are FANTASTIC. I sing the Chris part with my wife. We really need to bring that one back! Quote Puck Funk! Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajstan Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 'Touch and Go' by The Cars is in 5/4 (well, the intro and verses anyway). Does #37 on the US charts count as a hit? I used to play this song in a Cars tribute. Actually, its trickier than just 5/4 as the keys and vocals are in 4/4 time while the bass and drums run in 5/4 in the intro/verse and constantly trying to kick you off of 4/4. Wiki says guitar is in 4/4 but i recall the guitarist hitting random strum chords - he seemed closer to the 5/4 clique than the 4/4, it always felt to me that keys and vocals were alone in 4/4 while the rest of the band was somewhere else. I could nail it fine but the damn singer kept fucking up his entry spots - I had to start throwing stuff at him. The song comes together in 4/4 time in the chorus and everyone syncs up. Weird beat in that one. Thanks for the reply! Just listened to the song again. I never payed enough attention to notice the keys and vocals were in 4/4 and continued unbroken from verse to chorus and back again. It sounds to me like the guitar strums are always on the 4& and the synth chords are on the & and change on every 1&. Singer comes in on the 1, but if you lose your place, good luck in catching up. Very neat! I have a whole new appreciation for the song. Quote Nord Stage 3 HA88, Nord Stage 3 Compact, Casio CT-S1, Radial Key Largo, Westone AM Pro 30, Rolls PM55P, K&M 18880 + 18881, Bose S1 Pro, JBL 305p MKII, Zoom Q2n-4K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggypants Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 I used to play 'My Favourite Things' in 5/4. That always went down well. I used to introduce it as 'My Five Favourite Things'. Also if you want the utmost madness of time signatures, listen to Lionel Loueke"s 'Seven Teens' [video:youtube] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBarker Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 "Pick up the Pieces" is NOT in 5/4, no part of it is. The melody sort of wraps around, but it eventually comes back around to 4/4 by the end of the second bar. Count it, it's two 4/4 bars just with syncopation. Quote Puck Funk! Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.