Music: Experiments in Timing

Inspired by Yorick’s thread, I started messing around with my old hats of timing from yester-yore.
It’s no secret that before you learn music you have a rhythm that is often completely unique to yourself, but the problem is that you have no idea what you are doing, how to communicate it, nor can anyone else sometimes play along with it.
So, like everyone, one goes out to learn all of the proper concepts so they know what they are doing, how to communicate it, and to allow others the ability to play along with it.

Sadly, most of us, including myself, lose a feel for our original feelings of rhythm from the onslaught of standards and expectations in traditional music methodologies.

However…I’ve never truly lost it…it’s just been on “hold” until I could circle back around to it and find it once again, but this time with a proper label and method of communicating what I’m thinking.

Well, I decided that Yorick stood as a challenge to myself; do something creative with rhythm…like you used to before you knew how to write it down.

This time, however, I know how to write down what I’m doing.
So, I picked up my guitar last night and started plucking out an old favorite of mine that I’ve played endlessly over the years…it’s nearly a lulaby for myself at this point…it’s just my favorite collection of notes together.
It’s a canon so it never really end, but here’s what it looks like in notated format.

Yorick…I assure you…this is “progressive” in format; see what you think:

p3424815.jpg741×64 44.7 KB

So, you can see the jarring that occurs.
Firstly, we’re in the awkward 5/4 timing that few like to wrestle with (save for some folks in jazz), yet we transition into 4/4 in the third measure and then back to 5/4 in the last measure.
The relative chords for this piece are Dm, Am, Emj, Am; in the key of Am.
Tempo is Moderato (on the low end, 108bpm…though you could do it at 112bpm for a slightly faster pace)

I haven’t added the accents so you can’t see it but the accents on the 5/4 measures are on the 1st and 4th beats, on the 4/4 it is only accented on the first beat, and the following 5/4 accents the 2nd beat and the 4th beat.
(I’ll make sure to repost when I get the accents annotated)

A very very nice tune!

I put it in Sibelius and made a version with a drum beat added so the rhythm can be better heard.

2 files, wav format 1.1MB: rapidshare.com/files/259040031/t … s.zip.html

Cool, I liked that drumming one; hadn’t heard this with a drum yet (MuseScore doesn’t have a drum built in).
Thanks!

In addition, here is one that, until tonight, I’ve never thought to write down…pretty interesting how it pans out…I think this is probably about as weird of a tempo as I have really ever made.

It actually just feels extremely natural to play this one this way on the guitar…even though it’s about as awkward in beat as it gets.

It really is intended to just loop on itself; I never did bother to figure out an exact exit for this rhythm, but I imagine it would go to something like (oh lord…I’m drawing a blank…it’s on organ and often used as a horror or dracula theme song…dangit…meh…I’ll figure out the name later).

Anyways…here’s what it looks like:

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Hey Stumps,

The only sheet music I read was for bagpipes… perhaps in the next month(s) I’ll get to getting them going again (they’re something of a living thing that needs resuscitation after prolongued leisures) and trying something in this vein… This may not happen, of course, but god willing I’ll give it a blow…

This sounds great on violin!

You got a track of that?? I would LOVE to hear that!

A very quick take:
rapidshare.com/files/259867765/quick.mp3.html

very nice

-Imp

Oh nice! That sounds so rich on violin!
I really need to pick that instrument up at some point.

One quick critique…the tie…it sounded like you were playing the following quarter + eighth that starts the 3/4 measure, but it’s a tie from the previous eighth note on that same 5/4 measure, so really, that last eighth on the 5/4 measure is a sustain equal to a half note.

Kind of odd, I know, but it’s the only way to play it.

Otherwise, you NAILED that and it sounds beautiful!

Yeah, I noticed afterwards. I must say, the way you wrote it sounds way better, I just had some kind of a lapse in thought…

Thanks!

Once I get a hold of a better sheet writing program, I’m going to plug away at that last one…I’ve already made it once in the past on a midi program, but it’s never been written down.
That was also much farther before I could play with parts and harmonies more dynamically, so it was very single toned…I think I could ante it up now.

Here’s an update…I finally got around to completing this piece…I’ll get the sheet music up when I get a chance:
Cantare de Intensus