Definition
An irregular (or asymmetric) meter has beats of different lengths within the bar: 5/8 = 2+3 or 3+2, 7/8 = 2+2+3, 3+2+2 or 2+3+2. We also speak of additive rhythm: the bar is the sum of groups of 2 and 3, instead of the regular division of a beat into equal parts (divisive rhythm). Mixed meter changes the time signature from bar to bar.
How to read them
- 5/4 and 7/4: the unit is the quarter note; it is felt as 3+2 or 4+3.
- 5/8, 7/8, 9/8 (asymmetric), 11/8: the unit is the eighth note; groups of 2 are “short” (S), groups of 3 are “long” (L). 7/8 = S S L (2+2+3).
- The composer often indicates the grouping above the bar (2+2+3) or shows it with beaming.
- Careful with 9/8: 3+3+3 is a regular compound meter; 2+2+2+3 is asymmetric (Turkish karşılama, “Blue Rondo à la Turk”).
Balkan and Turkish aksak
“Aksak” in Turkish means “limping”: it is the family of asymmetric meters of Turkish and Balkan music.
| Meter | Grouping | Example dance |
|---|---|---|
| 7/8 | 3+2+2 | lesnoto (Macedonia) |
| 7/8 | 2+2+3 | kalamatianós (Greece) |
| 9/8 | 2+2+2+3 | karşılama (Turkey) |
| 11/8 | 2+2+3+2+2 | kopanica (Bulgaria) |
| 5/8 | 2+3 | paidushko (Bulgaria) |
For musicians of that tradition these meters are as natural as 4/4 is for a pop musician: they are “danced” with long and short steps.
Famous examples
- 5/4: “Take Five” (Dave Brubeck Quartet, composed by Paul Desmond, 1959), 3+2; the “Mission: Impossible” theme (Lalo Schifrin); “Mars” from Holst's The Planets; the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique” (a “waltz” in 5/4); “15 Step” (Radiohead).
- 7/4: “Money” (Pink Floyd, with the solo moving into 4/4); “Solsbury Hill” (Peter Gabriel); “Unsquare Dance” (Dave Brubeck).
- Asymmetric 9/8: “Blue Rondo à la Turk” (Brubeck), 2+2+2+3 alternating with 3+3+3.
- Mixed meter: The Rite of Spring (Stravinsky, the “Sacrificial Dance” changes meter almost every bar); “All You Need Is Love” (The Beatles), verses with alternating bars of 4/4 and 3/4; the bridge of “Here Comes the Sun” (The Beatles) with bars of 11/8, 4/4 and 7/8 in the most widespread transcription; “Hey Ya!” (OutKast), a 4/4 phrase with an inserted bar of 2/4.
- Prog and metal: Tool (“Schism”), Dream Theater, Meshuggah (where an odd cycle often runs over a constant 4/4: polyrhythm more than irregular meter).
How to program and play them
- Count the groups, not the eighth notes: 7/8 = “1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3” or with the syllables “ta-ka ta-ka ta-ki-ta” (Indian solkattu).
- Drums: kick on the first hit of each group, snare on the last long group or at mid-bar. In 7/8 (2+2+3): kick on 1 and 3, snare on 5, ghost notes on the remaining eighth notes.
- DAW: in FL Studio set the Time signature to 7/8 and the snap to 1/2 beat (eighth note). If the DAW handles denominators of 8 poorly, write in 7/4 at double speed.
- Arrangement: an odd meter is more “accessible” if bass and drums are repetitive and the melody is singable (as in “Money” and “Solsbury Hill”).
Why they work
Irregular meter creates a slight imbalance that pushes forward: the bar always “stumbles” at the same point and that point becomes a rhythmic hook. Used consistently (a repeating pattern) it is catchy; used at random it disorients.
Exercise
- Tap 7/8 as 2+2+3 and as 3+2+2 for one minute each, then program them in FL Studio with the same drum kit.
- Rewrite one of your 4/4 loops by removing an eighth note from the last bar of each phrase (phrase of 4/4 4/4 4/4 7/8): hear the “surprise” effect.
- Transcribe the pattern of “Take Five” (piano and drums) and play a pentatonic melody over it.
Related topics
Time signatures: simple and compound meters; Polyrhythm, hemiola and polymeter; Clave and tresillo; Groove, swing and microtiming.