Definition
An irregular meter (or asymmetric, "odd meter") is a meter in which the strong beats are not equidistant: the bar is divided into mixed groups of 2 and 3 subdivisions. In 4/4 we hear 2+2 (or 4 equal beats); in 7/8 we hear, for example, 2+2+3: the third "step" is half again as long. In the Turkish and Balkan tradition these rhythms are called aksak ("limping"): the term was made famous in the West by the ethnomusicologist Constantin Brăiloiu (article "Le rythme aksak," 1951). In Turkish theory, strictly speaking, aksak refers specifically to 9 = 2+2+2+3.
How to count
The trick is to count the subdivisions and then group them with different syllables: "1-2" for the group of two, "1-2-3" for the group of three.
- 5/4 = 3+2 (or 2+3): "ONE-two-three-FOUR-five." Each beat is a quarter note, but the grouping creates a strong beat and a "semi-strong" one.
- 5/8 = 2+3: the Bulgarian paidushko, fast, felt as two steps of which the second limps.
- 7/8 = 2+2+3 (Bulgarian račenica) or 3+2+2 (Macedonian lesnoto, Greek kalamatianos) or 2+3+2.
- 9/8 aksak = 2+2+2+3 (Bulgarian daychovo); careful: the "classic" 9/8 is instead compound, 3+3+3, like a gigue.
- 11/8 = 2+2+3+2+2 (gankino/kopanitsa) or 2+2+2+2+3.
- Longer meters: 13 (2+2+2+2+2+3), 15, up to compound cycles like 25 = (3+2+2)+(3+2+2)+(2+2+3)+(2+2) of the sedi donka.
| Meter | Grouping | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 5/4 | 3+2 | Dave Brubeck Quartet — Take Five (1959) |
| 7/4 | 4+3 approx. | Pink Floyd — Money (1973) |
| 7/8 | 2+2+3 | Bulgarian račenica |
| 9/8 | 2+2+2+3 | Dave Brubeck — Blue Rondo à la Turk (1959) |
| 11/8 | 2+2+3+2+2 | gankino horo |
Example in A minor (7/8 = 2+2+3, ♪ = 280, that is about 140 BPM per quarter note)
Drums: kick on the first eighth of each group (1, 3, 5), snare on the last group (eighth 5) with a ghost note on 7. Bass: A (2 eighths) – A (2) – E-G (3). Chords: Am for two bars, then F, G. The group of three at the end of the bar provides the push that brings you back to 1: that is where to put the long strum or the snare hit.
In FL Studio
Set the meter of the project or pattern (Time signature in the project settings or a meter-change marker in the Playlist). For 7/8 it is convenient to work with eighth-note steps: in the Channel Rack set the pattern to 14 sixteenth-note steps (= 7 eighths) or write directly in the Piano Roll with snap at 1/2 beat. Color the grids of the groups of 3 so you don't get lost.
How to make it sound natural
- The groove comes from the grouping, not from the number: decide 2+2+3 or 3+2+2 and have kick, bass and chords play the same division.
- Keep a constant lane (hi-hat in eighths or a shaker) that makes the meter "walkable."
- In pop many tracks in 5 or 7 insert the odd meter only in a riff or in the chorus, then return to 4/4: it is a gentle way to introduce surprise.
- The melody can cross the barline: two-bar phrases of 7/8 = 14 eighths divide well into 4+4+6.
Practical exercise
- Program a 5/4 = 3+2 loop at 100 BPM: kick on beats 1 and 4, snare on 3 and 5, hi-hat in eighths. Over it play Am7 – Em7 alternating (one chord per bar).
- Rewrite the same loop in 3+2 and then in 2+3 and listen to how the balance changes.
- Turn one of your 4/4 beats into 7/8 by removing the last eighth of the bar: notice where the phrase "stumbles" and move the snare to make it musical.
- Listen and count: Take Five, Money, Blue Rondo à la Turk (notice how Brubeck alternates 2+2+2+3 for three bars and 3+3+3 in the fourth).
Related entries
See "Meter, subdivision, half-time and double-time" for regular meters, "Odd groupings inside 4/4" for using the 3+3+2 idea without changing meter, "Metric modulation" and "Polyrhythm, hemiola and polymeter." Texts: Berklee, "Odd Meter" in the drum courses; Bartók, "Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm" from the Mikrokosmos (vol. VI), an ideal study for pianists and arrangers.