compound duple meter vs simple triple meter

[TribeOfHǫfuð]

In polyrhythmics, shall we e.g. count the underlying four in the bass drum or the overlaying six in the Congas, in a four-against-six? My percussion teacher's answer would be: Who is in charge of one? If the conga's accent on one every sixth note is dominant, then your base is six. If it is not dominant relative to the bass drum and even off beat (does not enter at one anyway), your base is four. If it cannot be determined, you are in for some dynamic and ambigious polyrhythmics, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

[jancivil]

Well, while it doesn't have to be dichotomous (it can be both at the same time), generally a 4 {or 8} in the time of 3 (eg., dotted 8ths or 16ths in 6/8) will tend to be a more striking cross-rhythm perceptually than triplets in a simple duple meter but this depends on what is established and how firmly.

Indian drummers will do a 4:3 emphasis and effect a temporary modulation to a 4 pulse, creating rhythmic tension and finally resolve back to time, a very satisfying thing.


making 8 and closed parentheses into an emoji is a really annoying move for an online forum. almost as good as turning common words into links for product.

[jancivil]

Good question. I'm sometimes getting confused between 2/4 and 4/4 as well.

I guess 3/4 it is when I want to waltz and 6/8 when it feels weird to do so. Or a one-circle vs two-circle tendency when the tempo is fast.

A common way this was taught in my day was America by Sondheim/Bernstein, the hemiola of mixing 3 pulse with 2 pulse in compound time. It's written in 6/8, the rhythm however is duple compound then simple triple: I want to be in A mer-i-ca. A brutal skirmish was fought here one day when I brought this in, when I refused to agree that compound meter "12/8" was never not duple, and the guy offered that he'd seen it arranged as alternating meters 6/8 then 3/4 when I mentioned 'this is in 6/8'.

The diff between 2/4 and 4/4 is not necessarily a real difference, I know of too many things with a pronounced two-step thing happening that is all written as 4/4, ie., conductor's choice.

[jancivil]

Suppose I hear two pieces of music and one goes : 'one and two and three and four and five and six.....' and the other sounds like ' one and a two and a three and a four and a five and a six......' From this information, am I correct that we now would know we are dealing with a simple meter song vs a compound meter song

The second of these can simply be describing triplets over six beats. The first is also unclear, because there is no emphasis indicated.
Generally, compound time - meaning has a factor of 2 and a factor of 3 - is a duple feel. ONE two three FOUR five six. Simple triple: ONE two THREE four FIVE six (but note well, some are going to disagree with simple triple there, unless that is two bars of 3).

Here is a signal example, at 2:30 the emphasis of the 12/8 gives way to the 3 feel except the drummer is keeping the duple pulse (hemiola). so the cross-rhythm feels like quarter note triplets. Same thing as America but more interest and both happen simultaneously.