From the course: The Songwriter's Toolkit: New Perspectives

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Phrasing outside the time signature

Phrasing outside the time signature - Sibelius Tutorial

From the course: The Songwriter's Toolkit: New Perspectives

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Phrasing outside the time signature

- [Instructor] Pop songs writing in odd time signatures are nothing new. A time signature is the two number symbol that you see at the beginning of a piece of sheet music that resembles a fraction. It's the piece of information that tells us how we organize the rhythm of a song. For more information on time signatures and how they work, check out the video on beats, bars and phrases in my music theory for songwriters, the fundamentals, course. Four four and three four are the most common time signatures in popular music. But there are lots of pop songs written in alternative time signatures. Two famous examples of songs with unusual time signatures are Pink Floyd's Money, which is in seven four, and Dave Brubeck's Take Five, which is in five four. If you listen to those songs, and count along, you'll notice they have an unexpected, off kilter feel to them. Deviating from the phrasing implied by a time signature is a great way to do something unexpected in a song. And one of the best…

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