Time Signatures part 1 The Basics

         A time signature is an indicator of the rhythmic parameters of a piece of music. It consists of two numbers (one stacked on top of the other). Each number tells us something about the way the rhythms of the piece should be read and counted. The top number tells us how many beats are contained in each measure of the piece. The bottom number tells us which note receives the value of one beat in this piece of music.

          Time signatures are located in the beginning of a piece of music. The first symbol to the very left of the musical staff is the clef. This tells us which five lines are represented by the staff. To the right of the clef is the key signature. If the piece is written in the key of C major or A minor (no sharps or flats) then there will be no symbols indicated in the key signature. If the piece is written in any other key, the sharps or flats of that key will be indicated in the key signature. To the right of this (on the 1st musical staff) is where we find the time signature.

          The top number of a time signature can be any number. This means that we can have any number of beats per measure in a piece of music. However, since most music tends to follow symmetrical rhythmic patterns most simple pieces contain either two, three, or four beats per measure. The most common time signatures contain a four on the bottom; and either a two, three or four on top. When there is an eight on the bottom of the time signature, the most common top number is six. However, more complex musical pieces can contain diverse rhythmic patterns. In these cases, other (less common) numbers are used on the top of the time signature. These types of time signatures will be discussed in more detail in future lessons.


          The bottom number of a time signature can only be part of a sequence starting with 1 and continuing with the double of the number that precedes it. In other words, the numbers of this sequence are: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128… and they continue on in this pattern. The reason for this specific sequence is the fact that each bottom number of a time signature corresponds to a note value (1 = whole note / 2 = half note / 4 = quarter note / 8 = eighth note / 16 = sixteenth note / 32 = thirty-second note …).


          One method I use to help my students realize the value of the bottom number of a time signature involves the visualization of fractions. I have them convert the time signature into a fraction. Next, we discard the top number since we are only concerned with the value of the bottom number at the moment. We replace the top number (or numerator) of this imaginary fraction with a 1. The fraction that results from this process represents the name of the rhythmic value that receives one beat in this time signature. A fraction of ½ corresponds to the half note; a fraction of ¼ corresponds to the quarter note and so on.









          In beginning music lessons most teachers tell their students that the quarter note receives one beat, the half note receives two beats, the whole note receives four beats and the eighth note receives half a beat. This information is correct if the bottom number of the time signature is a four. However, the actual beat values of each rhythm are not set throughout all musical examples. They change based on the bottom number of the time signature. What is set is the relative length of each rhythmic value in comparison with each other. A half note will always be half the value of a whole note. A quarter note will always be a quarter of the value of a whole note and half the value of a half note. Beginning music teachers tell the “white lie” of set rhythmic values because it is too difficult to explain the actual system of rhythmic values to a beginning music student (in most cases). Plus, most beginning music contains time signatures that have a four as the bottom number. Later on, when the student begins to experience time signatures with other numbers on the bottom, we explain the actual system of rhythmic values. In the video, I provide a chart that displays the rhythmic values of a whole, half, quarter and eighth note in time signatures that contain either a two, four or eight as the bottom number. This chart does not cover every rhythmic value under every type of time signature, but it displays enough values to illustrate the concept.

This Learning Music With Ray video discusses time signatures.  In it, I discuss the location of the time signature in a piece of music and the information it provides for the reader.  I point out the significance of the top and bottom numbers and explain the musical parameters covered by each number.  

Memorizing Scales

                A keysignature is a collection of seven pitches that a diatonic piece of music is composed of.  One could think of it as the pitch ingredients within the recipe of a song.  There are 21 total chromatic pitches in music.  This is a result of a seven letter musical alphabet in which each letter can be either sharp, flat or natural.  However, diatonic music selects seven of these 21 pitches as the pitch framework for a particular song.  Diatonic music is limited to one type of each letter in the musical alphabet. 

            The order in which sharps or flats are added to the list of the 7 pitches of a key signature is determined by a mathematical component of music called the circleof fifths.  The key of C major or A minor contains no sharps or flats, so this key signature acts as the starting point of the circle of fifths.  If we travel up a fifth from there (counting C or A as one) we reach the key that contain one sharp (G major or E minor).  Continuing up in fifths will reveal the tonic for two sharps, three and so on.  Traveling down a fifth from C or A will reveal the tonic of the key with one flat (F major or D minor).  Continuing down in fifths reveals the other flatted tonics.  This circle of fifths diagram graphically depicts the order of the cycle.  Major keys are listed in the outside circle and minor keys are listed in the inside one.  At the bottom of the circle, we reach a point where additional sharps or flats would be inefficient.  Once the number of flats or sharps in a key signature exceeds six the resulting key overlaps the opposite side of the circle.  For example, the key of C# major which contains 7 sharps is the enharmonic equivalent to Db major which contains only 5 flats.  For this reason, the circle of fifths diagram usually only depicts the simplest form of each key signature.  For a more in-depth discussion on the circle of fifths, please refer to my blog posts from 5/28/14 and 6/4/14

               A scale is a consecutive listing of the 7 pitches within a diatonic key.  In our previous lesson on key signatures, we discussed that a diatonic key is a selection of 7 of the 21 possible pitches in music.  The selection is limited to 7 because each letter in a diatonic key is limited to one type (either flat, natural or sharp).  The listing of pitches within a scale always starts and ends with the tonic pitch.  The purpose for practicing scales on our instrument is to familiarize ourselves with the 7 diatonic pitches of a given key.

                Music students often learn their scales by reading them off of a piece of sheet music.  To memorize the scales, they practice repeatedly until the movements required to perform the scale are committed to muscle memory.  This method of memorization can be unreliable since it does not employ a cognitive understanding of the pitches in the sequence.  This lack of cognition also robs the student of the true benefit of practicing scales, which is familiarizing ourselves with each key signature.  Once we can mentally distinguish the pitches of a particular key signature, we can free ourselves to play a musical passage without accidentally hitting pitches outside of the key.

                If we visualize the 21 pitches of music, we can practice picking out and naming the 7 consecutive pitches of a scale.  We start by naming the 7 letters of that scale, beginning with the tonic letter (name of the key or scale) and looping around the 7 letters.  This is something that can easily be memorized since it is the first 7 letters of the English alphabet.  Then we simply apply the key signature (derived from the circle of fifths) of that scale while naming the letters.  We practice naming and then playing each pitch of the scale while keeping a steady beat.  Gradually, we increase the tempo and decrease the delay between naming and playing the pitches (eventually this requires naming the pitches in our head instead of out loud).  Finally we reach a point where we can name and play the pitches almost simultaneously, and at a decent tempo.  This method provides the confidence of cognitive pitch recognition as opposed to mere muscle memory reliance. 

                This Learning Music With Ray video discusses the method I use to help my students memorize their scales.  The primary reason for the study of scales is to develop an understanding of key signatures.  Truly knowing a scale frees musicians to mentally contain themselves within the confines of a given key.    In this video, I use the circle of fifths and a display of the 21 chromatic pitches to practice visualizing the seven pitches of a particular scale.  I demonstrate a process of naming and playing each pitch that ensures cognitive recognition of each pitch in the scale. 

Gospel Piano (part 4) Song Arrangement

                The chords used to create the harmony for gospel songs usually change every two or four beats (sometimes they are held even longer).  The frequency of the chord changes within a song is referred to as the harmonic rhythm.  Occasionally, there are passages that contain a chord change on every beat, but these are brief moments in the songs.  Few songs contain that fast of a harmonic rhythm throughout their entire chord structure. 

                This usual harmonic rhythm of change every 2 to 4 beats creates gaps in the music where nothing is happening.  Guitar players often fill in these gaps with rhythmic strumming patterns.  Piano players, however, cannot strum their instrument.  We need to use other techniques to fill in the empty space in the music.  We can strike the keys in a repeating pattern (similar to strumming), but this often results in a playing style that is simple, predictable and musically boring.  The music is taken to another level when we create an arrangement that includes a variety of techniques crafted together.

                Before creating a piano song arrangement, we must consider the context that the arrangement will be used in.  When playing with a band, it is often desirable to leave open gaps in the arrangement and not fill up each moment.  This leaves space for the other instruments to play.  If everyone in the band is filling every gap with their own full arrangement, they will be playing on top of each other and the music will sound cluttered.  Instead, each musician should take turns filling in the gaps while the others leave room.  Even when we are just accompanying a singer on the piano, we need to be sensitive to what the singer is doing.  We should leave open space when the singer is performing a complex melodic passage (or adding a run).  Then we can fill in the moments where the singer leaves open space.  We may even choose to leave the space open if the mood calls for that kind of playing. 

                When playing by ourselves, piano players can take the liberty to fill in more of the empty space.  We should still be sensitive to what is going on in the music and the flow of the performance, though.  Most songs (like all forms of entertainment) follow a natural progression of development.  They usually start off simple and pure.  Then things begin to develop and grow as the song progresses.  Finally, we reach a climax (the biggest part of the song) which is followed by a resolution.  We should keep the overall shape of this musical arch in mind when creating a song arrangement.  A simpler arrangement in the first verse, followed by increasing complexity will help to accent the development of the song.    

                Melodies are the most powerful and memorable tool available to a musician.  Some songs throughout history contain instrumental melodic introductions or run that are even more identifiable and memorable than the chorus (people hear that line and automatically know what song it is).  As we mentioned last time, there are times when a gospel piano player breaks away from the chords of the song in order to play melodic fills and runs.  These lines are often played in octaves or split octaves.  In our musical example there is an octave run that leads into the bridge.  Then there is a split octave run on the third line of the bridge.  These runs help to emphasize main lines in the melody, or lead to new parts of the song.

                In addition to this, short melodies can also be used to fill in the distance traveled from chord to chord.  These melodies are often played in the right hand, but they can also exist in the left.  An interchange between hands can create interesting patterns that add presence and variety. 

                Another technique often used to fill out an arrangement is the use of multiple inversions of the same chord.  This allows the hands to travel up and down the piano covering a greater distance.  These chord inversions can be arpeggiated, or played in block formats.  The motion between inversions can also be filled in with melodic ideas. 

                There are many left hand techniques that can be used to fill out an arrangement.  Some of these include a walking bass line, stride patterns, octave displacement and arpeggios.  Some of these techniques are typical of particular styles and tempos of song, and do not necessarily fit in the style of our example song.  They will be demonstrated in future lessons.  This song lends itself to higher register left hand voicings that are complimented with octave displacement (repeating the bass of the chord an octave or two lower).  When the root of the chord is in the bottom of the voicing, we can play the fifth followed by the root an octave lower.  When the third is in the bottom of the voicing, we can play the root followed by the third an octave lower.  This downward left hand movement can be contrasted by either static left hand voicings, or arpeggios traveling up.

                There are also additional right hand techniques that do not necessarily lend themselves to the style of this musical example.  No song compliments every type of embellishment technique.  Instead, these different techniques often help to accentuate the individual style of the song.  Future examples will highlight other styles and embellishment techniques.

                This Learning Music With Ray video discusses the use of melodic motifs, left hand motion and other techniques to create song arrangements.  These techniques help to fill in the gaps of empty space between our chord voicings.  In it, I continue with our study of the original song He Makes All Things New.  I play through each section of the song using my example of a musical arrangement.  I also provide a detailed breakdown of each section of the song, explaining how it was derived from the chord voicings and what techniques were used to fill in the gaps.