[habiTat]

Hi, I've been chatting with Michael about timing of songs. It seems, I've realised, that almost all my songs, right back to when I was a teenager, are written in 3/4..

I just seem to be stuck with it, like some kind of natural internal body clock thing..

Speaking to Michael, he has the same issue with 4/4.

Is this a common problem? How do you re-program yourself?

Michael suggested, playing a drum beat in the desired time whist composing, to stop yourself drifting back to your usual rhythm. I might try it. I can't seem to get any really good high tempo songs going with 3/4.

hab 

[James Nighthawk]

I enjoy 6/8 a lot. But I have written in 4/4, 2/4, 7/4, 3/4 too..

We all have a tendancy to fall on certain patterns.

A tip to avoid this. Try writing in a new way.

The track I wrote in 7/4 was written accapella. I have also written a song on piano recently. I don't play piano, so I only roughly knew where I was going on the keys. And it ended up with a lot of rallentendos PARTLY because I can't play and partly because they worked in those places!

Get out of your comfort zone. Whack a high capo. Compose to just a rhythm. Try something different!

[The Corsair]

I have something of a balance between the two (3/4 and 4/4), but I'd say too many of my songs fall into 3/4. It's not a problem as long as they aren't all sounding the same (The vast majority of Circa Survive's stuff is in 3/4 and they rarely, if ever, fall into 'cliched power ballad' territory). I have, in fact, recently been working a bit in 5/4. Once you get your head around it there's a lot of fun to be had with the slightly frantic feel of it.

[Dutchbeat]

mainly only 4/4 here 

some 2/4 recently (hi, Bin!)...but seems very the same as 4/4 to me

sorry for my extreme ignorance
and had some 3/4 expriences in the past

and that IS different

ah, just to be sure... we are still talking about music time signatures, ok?

[The Corsair]

ah, just to be sure... we are still talking about music time signatures, ok?

I mainly have 3/4somes

[Dutchbeat]

i have to admit
i am most experienced with 1/1
come to think of it

[The Corsair]

i have to admit
i am most experienced with 1/1
come to think of it

Nothing like a guitar solo...

[HappyBastard]

I've written in a few, 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8 stick out in particular.  Though it isn't unusual for me to switch between time signatures within songs.  I sometimes have to catch myself though because I may start writing a song then allocate it a time signature based on the theme.  6/8 seems to call out to me for political protest songs...

[domstone86]

Dutchbeat you make me giggle!

It's probably a matter of comfort. You just need to get out of that zone and try and embrace a different feel. Strum a new chord once, hear the sound, hear how lovely it sounds hopefully, and then just strum it again and again DOWNSTROKES ONLY with no signature, just a steady rhythm of 1/1

Once you have that stably set up, make an expression on every first out of 4 beats.

Do that 4 times and change the chord.
Repeat last step.
Include upstrokes effectively doubling the speed.

Start to feel it, once you feel it, improvise.
If you don't feel it, stop and try again later!


Maybe that might help? :/