6/4 vs 3/4Įlectric Feel’s time signature is in 6/4. However, if the emphasis isn’t as strong here, then we can say it’s the fourth beat in a bar of 6/4. If beat 4 has an emphasis that’s as strong as beat 1, then we can say that a new bar is starting on this beat, making it beat 1 rather than beat 4 and telling us that we’re in 3/4. Well, it mostly depends on which beats have the strongest emphasis.īeat 1 in any time signature will always have a strong emphasis, but when it comes to deciding between 3/4 and 6/4, we need to focus on beat 4. This is because 1 bar of 3/4 + two bars of 6/4 = the same amount of time, but how do we know which time signature is right? Both counting in 3 and 6 to this song works. On the other hand, others think this song is 3/4, with the one bar of 6 beats being two separate bars of 3 beats. 6/4 is quite rare to hear in popular songs and, because of this, we sometimes perceive 6/4 as a bar of 4/4 and a bar of 2/4 (with the 2/4 bar making the momentum of the song suddenly increase). It’s not an odd time signature either, like 5/4 or 7/8. This is just like 4/4, except it has two extra beats per bar. Some say that this song is in the time signature of 6/4. This one is far more straightforward to understand than Hey Ya, but there is still debate to be had on exactly what time signature it’s in. The next track will be looking at is Electric Feel by MGMT. So, that’s the time signature of Hey Ya cleared up and if you ever hear someone claim a song to be in something like 11/4, 13/8, or 19/4, remember to completely ignore them and realise that it’s probably just using alternating time signatures. To completely illustrate our point, listen to this version of the song where someone’s put it completely in 4/4 and you’ll see what we mean. This might seem unnecessarily complex and you might wonder why the whole track wasn’t just played completely in 4/4, but having the 2/4 does make it sense in terms of the overall momentum of the track.Īdding those extra two beats in the 2/4 bar to make it 4/4 would make the track feel like it’s come to pause and seriously affect the momentum of a, fun, highly energetic track. In Hey Ya, the time signature alternates between 3 bars of 4/4, then one bar of 2/4, then two more bars of 4/4, and this pattern repeats throughout the entire track. Hey Ya actually uses alternating time signatures, which means the time signature changes between a set number of bars (this can be per bar or per multiple numbers of bars). We hope that alone will be enough evidence for you but let’s debunk this myth fully. Nothing popular has ever been written in 11/4 and hopefully, it never will. You could then argue that Hey Ya alternates between a bar of 7/4 and a bar of 4/4, which is a little closer to the truth than the 11/4 argument, but not completely.įinally, it’s 11/4… no one writes in 11/4. Secondly, when you count to it in 11/4 there’s a very strong emphasis on beat 8, which makes it sound like a new bar should start here. There’s even a count-in at the very start of the song, which is definitely not at 80bpm! This is because by counting to 80bpm you’re actually in half time and… really the track should be thought of as having a bpm of 160. However, we think that Hey Ya being in 11/4 is not completely accurate and we’ll explain why.įirst of all, when you consider the vibe and overall energy of the track, 80bpm seems way too slow. This track has been debated a lot online recently, but if you weren’t aware of it, the proclaimed time signature of this popular Hip Hop track will shock you.Īt first listen you’ll presume this song is in 4/4, however, many believe that it’s actually in 11/4.īelieve it or not, it’s possible to count along with this track to both the verses and chorus in 11/4 when you tap at around 80 beats per minute. Our first track is the Outkast song Hey Ya. America – Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim Wonder Woman’s Theme – Hans Zimmer, Junkie XL I Say A Little Prayer – Burt Bacharach, Hal David
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