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What key/time signature is this song in?

Started by The Deku Trombonist, March 24, 2013, 03:27:01 PM

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Jompa

In that case I would definitely use 6/8, and so would the rest of the world too. But you could use 4/4, if you already started it that way. As I said, changing it is a nightmare.
Birdo for Smash

Maelstrom

I think I'll just keep it in 4/4. I started it a while ago, so I didn't think twice about the time signature. And I got 27 measure in. Not changing that much...

Sebastian

Are there any rules on double sharps/flats?



Jompa

When you think about it, it comes down to the same rules as flats/sharps.
Mainly occurs in key signatures with three or more flats/sharps, and the more sharps/flats there are in the key signature the more double flats/sharps are likely to occur.

You probably wonder "why not just use a natural", but using a natural in these cases (and especially for the ones where there are many accidentals in the key signatures) pretty often results in putting the note on the wrong step of the scale (which is the most important problem as it greatly affects the readability, and often conflicts with other notes, creating even more accidentals and confusion), which then both contradicts the underlying chords and key signature (even though the accidentalized note is an irregularity to the key signature).

Though, in some cases using naturals is just fine, if it works better that way (usually considering chromatics), but lets say it is more strict to follow these double sharp/flat rules when there are more sharps/flats in the key signature. That is probably a good rule of thumb for this.

Why am I up in the middle of the night...
Birdo for Smash

Sebastian

Thanks!
Your probably wondering why I'm asking. Im having trouble figuring the accidentals out in "King Bowser's Theme".



Jompa

I figured it'd be faster to do it in a document myself, so here:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/75726060/FIXKing%20Bowser%27s%20Theme.mus
This song is horrible when it comes to accidentals, but these are probably the best solutions.

Here's what I did:

First four measures:
Here your faulty accidental use pretty much only comes down to you not considering ascending/descending chromatics. The changes I did were mainly to keep it with as few loose accidentals as possible.

Next eight measures:
Left hand - there is no good way of doing this, but this is the best possible way imo (I'll come back to other possible solutions down at the bottom). Beware that I made some accidentals visible, just so the performer doesn't forget they're there before the end of the measure.
Right hand - changed whatever E naturals you had into F-flats to match up with left hand (well, mainly anyways).

Next four measures:
these are good.

Last four measures:
I changed similarly to the start (and with a bit more), so look at the document.
Last measure was good btw.

You see that measure I added? This is the measure#5 left hand figure, but with an alternative choice of accidentals. This could also work, and I can imagine some people even saying it's more correct. I wouldn't say so though, as you can't use note steps as a good argument when three of the note steps are half steps apart. And neither do I agree to those G double flats when the step under them (F) isn't even flattened in the key signature (in this case I don't agree, at least). It keeps the accidentals to a minimum though! But I would not go with this.
I suppose it could also be solved by using D# instead of Eb, to keep accidentals to a minimum, but with such a crazy mix between sharps and flats is pretty painful to read, and not to mention wrong according to the key signature.
I don't think it matters too much which one of these you choose as long as it is readable, considering this will have to be practiced to be performed anyways.
Birdo for Smash

Sebastian




Sebastian

I think I understand better! Thanks!
My biggest problems and hardest things for me are accidentals, finding the key, and correct beaming of notes.
But I'm working on them! :)



braix

Quote from: MaestroUGC on August 19, 2015, 12:22:27 PM
Braixen is a wonderful [insert gender] with beautiful [corresponding gender trait] and is just the darlingest at [stereotypical activity typically associated with said gender] you ever saw.

Sebastian




braix

Quote from: MaestroUGC on August 19, 2015, 12:22:27 PM
Braixen is a wonderful [insert gender] with beautiful [corresponding gender trait] and is just the darlingest at [stereotypical activity typically associated with said gender] you ever saw.

Sebastian

I am having most dang trouble finding the key of a song.
An explanation would be great from someone who knows how to find the key. I know it has something to do with the tonal center...



Jompa

It starts out in G major, then when it modulates it's B major, and then it modulates to A major, and then back on repeat.
Birdo for Smash

Sebastian

Any rules on beaming of notes?
I'm havin' some trouble with that in this song




Jompa

I think the most important thing to think about in 4/4 is to let the third beat be visible through the beaming of notes, and in many cases it's an idea to think about letting all the beats be visible through the beaming, though that can be up to preferences. The "dotted quarter+dotted quarter+quarter"-figure is often mistakenly used, because it is an easy rhythm we all know anyways, though that doesn't really justify it. In the case of "quarter+halfnote+quarter" it is allowed.
In "/8-with-dotted-quarter-beats"-signatures all the beats should be visible. When people break that rule in these cases it leaves the sheet totally unreadable. The "quarter+quarter+quarter"-figure appears every now and then, and if you ask a music teacher they'd say it isn't allowed, but it doesn't exactly affect the readability any, shouldn't affect the performer's approach to the music, and is so often mistakenly used that you could be called wrong for not doing it.
3/-signatures is probably where the rules matters the least. You can go "quarter+halfnote", "dotted quarter+eight+quarter", "halfnote+quarter", "dotted quarter+dotted quarter" and no one should really mind. But stuff like "dotted quarter+quarter+eight", "eight+quarter+dotted quarter", "quarter+eight+dotted quarter" are much less allowed, mainly because they are actually extremely hard to read.
It's all a matter of readability. Why choose note beaming that's difficult to read?
Birdo for Smash