I'm really struggling with the feel of this song. Help?

[The*Ataris]

I've probably owned this album by American Football for 5-6 years, and have always loved their song "Never Meant". I've always been aware of it's strange feel, but I never thought about it much until I decided to play it.

 

It can be found here for reference (it's the third down on the player): http://www.myspace.com/amfootball

 

Anyways, I don't really have a great grasp of time signatures, but this just seems odd to me. There are 12 beats, the first chord change occurs on 5, the second on 8, and the third on 11. I'm not sure how to count that...

 

I'd really appreciate any help. I always get such great advice in the Lesson Loft forum--you guys are great.

[Poparad]

Wow... that's a really cool groove.

 

I'm hearing it as being in 6/4, with a lot of very syncopated (against the beat) rhythms. When the measure begins, the first beat has the bass drum, and the second beat has the first snare drum hit. Each beat is generally divided into four parts, in other words, a sixteenth note based groove. The drumstick count off on the beginning would then be eighth notes (two per beat)

 

This is how I picture it:

 

 

x       x     x     x     x     x       x
1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 5 e + a 6 e + a
 

 

The x's are the accented parts of the syncopated rhythm.

 

Beats 1, 5, and 6 are just normal beats with an accent right on the beat.

 

Beats 2-4 contain the syncopation. You might notice that the hits are every three sixteenth notes (instead of the normal four of a full beat). Not to get too heady, but the rhythm is a 4:3 polyrhythm (4 in the space of three beats).

 

 

Towards the end there's also an ascending riff that hits on all the a's of the first four beats (starting with the 'a' before beat 1)

 

Also, right before that, there's another riff (where the drums are playing in cut time), where the guitars play right on beats 2, 4, and 6, but play one sixteenth note early (on the 'a') before beats 1, 3, and 5, like so:

 

 

        x     x         x     x         x     x
1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 5 e + a 6 e + a

[The*Ataris]

Thanks for the response. I wouldn't waste your guys' time with a stupid time signature question if it weren't cool

 

I'm sort of "studying" this album right now, trying to figure out how it flows so beautifully, yet remains somewhat technical (obviously relative). Because I'm not very well versed in theory, it's difficult for me to really understand it.

 

Is it weird if I count it like this?

 

1, 2, 3, 4,

1, 2, 3

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

[Poparad]

Thanks for the response. I wouldn't waste your guys' time with a stupid time signature question if it weren't cool I'm sort of "studying" this album right now, trying to figure out how it flows so beautifully, yet remains somewhat technical (obviously relative). Because I'm not very well versed in theory, it's difficult for me to really understand it. Is it weird if I count it like this? 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

 

Sometimes, especially on odd time signatures, it is easier to break things up into odd groupings to count, but typically it's only done in groups of 3 and 4 (or 2), as they are the easiest to count and feel, and usually only because the result is easier to keep track of. When you end up with a string off various groups, all with different lengths, it starts to become more of a hassle than it's worth. In this case, since the alternative is to think of it in 6 (or 12) evenly spaced beats, I think that it would just be more of a complication to think of it with odd groupings.

 

Try feeling those six beats underneath the syncopations and feel how the syncopations go against the beat. You'll have to put in an imaginary beat in your mind when the syncopation is right before or after the beat (such as on the 'e' or 'a') to keep your place, but it does make it easier to feel. This is how most players with great feels for meter do it, and from listening to the drum part, I can tell the drummer is feeling it this way, too, as he's often keeping an even pattern going along with the meter while playing the accents on other drums that go against the evenness.