How to ROCK Odd Time Signatures Video Lecture | Guitar: Become a Pro (English) - Music

some things in life are just odd like my
foot fetish that's that's not that odd
man now the feet that I'm into you oh my
god oh my god
time signatures can also be odd ah so
today we're gonna talk about some great
odd time signatures how you can maybe
incorporate them in your own playing and
just kind of how I think about them yeah
and where they come from
yeah stuff like how much I'm learning
how to count let me gonna count it's
important it's very important not just
for babies you wanna start us off uh
yeah sure okay we're gonna get into the
classic stuff people on here but I'm
gonna make everyone listen to Radiohead
first fantastic okay what's it what time
soon
Wow I think they should rewind that try
to figure out themselves before you give
them the answer by the way probably
nobody knows that song so I'll sure go
to sleep go to sleep and by Radiohead by
Radiohead off hail to the feet yeah this
is one of those ones it's hard to count
it is all right well because it can
either be one of two things because it
blends together over the the time
sweeter line of bar line mhm so what do
you think wow this is actually in 10-4
all right again when we say ah yeah
generally comes done odd number
jet usually odd is just like anything
the sign for for for for yeah or yeah
three four before yeah okay threes an
odd number I get people have been giving
me a no I'm serious oh yeah through
through through no no four forms before
very are very common time signatures for
for is known as common time yeah three
four known as a waltz to us and those
have been around forever so we're
talking about odd time signatures
I would say five four is the most common
yes means every bar gets five counts
visit by four one two three four five
one two three four five which ten and
five yeah can be the same thing exactly
how you counted but something like this
is a good example of how it's you really
can't count it in five and we just gave
it away this is in ten four
one
five six seven feet but try to count it
in five four three four five one two
three
see that the beats don't really line up
that run so that's why I think this is
in ten yeah and four people I think it's
in tennis well but I'll tell you like
you know it's very hard when you're
starting off to try and like put your
ear on where it starts and try to count
it and even find like where the quarter
note is yeah and this stuff comes to the
practice I'm telling you like I know I
didn't come out of the gates being able
to follow time signatures sure um but it
really gets your mind more into the
rhythm section which is where you want
to be as a lead guitar player or
songwriter and so you really want to
think your way through it and relax and
and you can do it don't internalize the
timing internalize the feel and not to
be caught up on where the accents are
right because you can be playing it
straight for and the accents are
throwable this is a weird time signature
now the accents are just kind of within
a straight times and you think what like
Carter Beauford from from Dave Matthews
man that's the guy who's playing in 4/4
but accenting all these crazy so it
surrounds you know like way out of for
forever you can do it it's going for
what yeah so you didn't listen to where
those the beats are it's sometimes it's
really hard sure you know um I have an
entry for this woody yeah well I'm gonna
discuss the band that I think you know
they they have the most amount of like
radio-friendly hits that happen to be in
odd times I think the Masters of it
which is Soundgarden whoo
one of my favorite Soundgarden songs is
my wave and I mean this thing came out
when I was in high school and I remember
walking on high school just like banging
this rhythm out in my head and enjoying
it and so I'll play a little bit of it
nothing fancy but you can get an idea
for it well played a couple times around
let's see if you can count and see where
it is
[Music]
interesting right yeah that's a really
interesting I remember hearing it and I
mean it gets a lot more crazier as the
song goes on but the truth is just like
you this is in five for sure right and
so I'll play it and in Sean's gonna
count down to show you and so there's
another odd song I think hits the radios
because it has a nice movement through
its melody it really it really is a
radio friendly song I mean sometimes
time signatures like when you listen to
Genesis or yes
so most songs aren't radio friendly and
they have time signatures so there's a
good blending of the melody and where
meets the the time the Masters other
yeah it's so darn sauce do you want love
that out before we get to the three and
four you want to talk well you know how
do we how do they think about these
things where does this stuff come from I
personally think a lot of it comes from
the drummer yeah right
oh absolutely pretty much all the bands
we're gonna talk about today have
phenomenal just strong drummers okay
yeah Cameron it's on Gardiner
beast Selway Radiohead beasts yeah I
mean I've talked about we're not even
gonna do any tools yeah just like every
tool song is is me right it's amazing so
and it really does really I'm the
drummer I think that like you know from
the interviews I read of my favorite
musicians you hear them always talking
about how the drummer is practicing in
another room they kind of pick up yeah
and these on these beats and they color
them and if the drummer happily playing
something an odd time you know and you
start to hum notes that go with it there
it is so focusing on your drummer
because the great drummer grooves and he
makes a groove yeah and he doesn't make
it seem like it's a count right you know
what I mean yeah it's so internal and
that's again that's why tool is amazing
because that's just it's just this
tribal yeah that is happening that a lot
of times is compound times it is
changing times yeah but you never hear a
seam you never never even like notice
that your your yeah you're you know
glitching in your in your rhythm cuz I
also see because it's so smooth and I
think a lot of that is on the drummer
huh yeah I remember when I was first
trying to count at times
I had a hard time something that really
helped me out with it was Dave Brubeck
oh yeah right yeah the the album timeout
yes introduce all songs in high time
that's all timeout I don't know a
revolutionary
first time right yeah treats childhood
and that's like a very rudimentary way
of thinking because that's five right
take five right but really when you
think about it is actually I think of
that or I thought of it in three and two
one two three and then you know
absolutes are in court trying to
incorporate that into my own song
[Music]
yeah and I think breaking down harder
time signatures outer time signatures
yeah and something more manageable like
a 3 and a 2 or a 4 and a 3 or something
like that I think is a great way to
count it absolutely and I mean you are a
master of your song have a lot of time
signatures in it and I think that you
know because he spent time breaking it
down that it starts to come out
organically you start to yeah boys
you're more thoughtful about it and you
think about the counting of it then it
helps you to kind of seamlessly groove
something very true and at the same time
you don't stress about writing something
that's not in 4/4 I mean I used to
stress if I wrote a rhythm like well
this isn't six like I'm working why
can't I write it to get to eight Rhino
and then you're like well we know it's a
cool riff in time center so let it even
if you wanted to count with your drummer
okay what's your what your uh your
Thoreau we got to go to the Masters on
the master
[Music]
Wow now we got talk here okay what is
this this is crazy this is hard to count
if you don't know what you're looking
for when when we when I first approached
this I was like this a half-measure
Shawn you know and then we had a
realization like oh okay this makes
total sense here the ocean by Led
Zeppelin awesome song okay yes another
way kind of like I would say a little
bit more of an advanced example what we
just talked about with take five right
combining two time signatures stacking
them yeah well we have to even like not
just two different time signatures yeah
you know you fought you followed you can
add them together yes by the way I think
this is like four right yep and then
seven eight right because we're short
we're kind of like you said half
measures short yeah four before is the
same as 8 over 8 yes then if you just go
one beat earlier which is it what you
can hear it goes like you're not that it
that did that about right we're arriving
early and what is that so it is like
exactly yeah feet earlier and so for 4
so you know so here we have a measure of
4/4 next to a measure of 7/8 and that
bottom did not the bottom number it
tells you what beat gets to count and so
we're going from a coordinate of 1 2 3 4
to eighth notes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 I'm
sorry 7 yeah but we get the idea like
whoa you're gone from keeping your mind
enough on the quarter and then to the
eighth note and it makes that riff so
amazing yeah and in the same vein I
think talking about the accents is
always important very very and different
bands will have some signature accents
they like to use yes I'd like a real
quick sit down would be like like the
Coldplay rhythm oh yeah yeah right
one two three ones you can buy any kind
of bullet play song by accenting the to
counsel three and one which really yeah
what's really funny because hey if you
look at a time signature with that being
4/4 and and there's yeah uh yeah if you
just read it off a car is in for you
know anything done a bar of three a bar
three at Barb's - how do they keep it
straight and so funny playing for yeah
one of my students just came to me last
week with this song it's like one two
three
[Music]
kool-aid which isn't for for you see
you're right your accents about where
you go can give up huge illusion in the
wrong direction of your camp sir very
true we need something you want another
Explorer yeah I mean have fun with it
there's no right or wrong when it comes
to it I feel like if you if you're the
guitar player at writing stuff your
drummer will appreciate it you know okay
yeah I I found I get down on drums a
little bit yeah if there's an odd time
riff it's almost it's more fun to groove
to it yeah because it forces you into
Endora yeah and you move like it kind of
you know you move and before I get to my
last one I mentioned this in one of our
live feeds um one of my favorite songs I
think it's a classical song I might get
the name wrong but I think it's called
um scenes for an exhibition or themes
from an exhibition and it's in 11 8 or
11 Fossum and and you wouldn't even
think for a second to the on time center
until you count it but that's a great
song my last rip again going to the
Soundgarden I'm gonna put my clip-on
tuner on for a second solid solid right
gonna drop T there we go and here we
have another Soundgarden song one of my
favorites
yes that song read about spoons forever
yes spoon man the countin this is a
exceptional two in seven step it for ya
okay and you know when you think about
you have this drummer like one two one
two three four five six Eileen oh it's
one two three four five six seven
but the accents in the movement within
it are incredible Sean slim count it out
here we go
[Music]
[Laughter]
[Music]
we are human they we're human they're
always yes and so you can hear that's a
seven four count and it's just it's
amazing so again you know that drummer
when you listen to hold uh the Flan's of
boo-boo-boo-boo-boo it's hard to even
now that's odd time just sounds trucks
is the man yeah and so you can have a
lot of fun with odd time signatures also
protip protect ago when I was first
trying to wrap my head around all this
crazy time Safa and you're playing
something in seven don't count to seven
count to four and three for 307 has two
syllables so it's like when you're
trying to count it sing seven yeah
several days yeah yeah one two three
four five six one trying to force the
word seven into one syllable you're
right and it always used to screw me out
so that's a really songs than that
that's really funny cuz like eat when I
count 11 at six and five yeah the word
seven screws that yeah subdividing
that's what it's all about
yeah so don't be afraid of odd time
signatures or odd yeah ah for sure my
favorite is the one with seven toes and
some of these guys Channel oh no odd
stuff there yeah
[Laughter]