Defining half-time, double-time, cut time, and "feel"

[Paul Kurzweil]

I've seen a lot of confusion about the definitions of half-time, double-time, and cut time in music theory, so here it is in a nutshell:

Half-time doubles the tempo, because note values are cut in half, so a half note is played as a quarter note, which is half as long. This makes the tempo twice as fast.

Double-time halves the tempo, because note values are doubled, so a quarter note is played as a half note, which is twice as long. This makes the tempo half as fast.

It only seems like a contradiction if you mistake note values for tempo!

Cut time is Alla breve, notated by a C with a vertical line through it after the time signature. It's just a change in the time signature, where the number of beats per measure (top number) and the division interval (bottom number) are both cut in half, so 4/4 becomes 2/2. It only affects the way notation is read, not played, therefore it does not affect tempo. It's useful sometimes for fast, simplistic charts, like for marching bands - it gives the musicians half the number of measures they need to read.

In addition, these terms have nothing at all to do with the "feel" of a piece. A feel is subjective. Tempo is not. Tempo is an exact speed at which to play.

When a drummer talks about "feel" they are not referring to tempo, they're referring to what the backbeat feels like to the listener. So when they talk about a half-time or double-time feel, they are not talking about tempo in the slightest.

So, to recap: half-time is twice as fast, double-time is half as fast. Cut time is just for reading and has nothing to do with tempo, and neither does the "feel" of a beat.

I hope this helps clear up the confusion!

Edited December 21, 2019 by Paul Kurzweil

[1001gear]

Also bar time is different all the time.

[jonblanck]

Very good information.  I have a question... Let's say the song goes into "half-time feel" for 8 bars and then goes back to "normal" feel.  What do I write on a chart to indicate to the musicians that the feel is going back to "Normal"

[1001gear]

You can change the time signatures, the note values, or you could double the tempo marking or simply write "half time feel" so reversing that would be a matter of reversing whichever option you took including indicating "original feel". There are probably conventions to this when publishing but I'd indicate stuff in a manner the group would understand.

[1001gear]

Also this that spawned this thread.

 

[Rob Sanz]

Ok so is it me, or are the terms half time and double time  perhaps one of the most misrepresented terms in music?

I've read the original post by Paul K above in texts, in music classes and occasionally elsewhere...BUT on the street, I hear a lot of musicians call out "double time" on the fly in performance and we start playing twice as fast (which technically would be half time, or am I wrong?)

The video below is an example of the "street" version I'm familiar with.  So what are the correct terms and does it even matter if a large number of musicians are gonna call out "double time" in order to get us to play twice as fast? 😁

 

 

[1001gear]

You see soldiers marching and the DI calls double time and the group goes faster. Never paid attention if it's 2x or what. Lotta semantics. Double time is twice the time so that's what, half as fast? Double time signature should be the same time so what, nothing happens?