Complex time: Bruce Dickinson's Killing Floor

I need to know what is going on in this song rhythmically. The intro (which comes again after the 3/4 bridge towards the middle) is it 6/4 or 7/4? What about the verse ("so this is dream time...") - it appears to be 4/4, no wait, it's x/8...I think...but then what is the x?

OK just downloaded the song:

Intro is in 7/4 accents on 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 +

I'm considering the song to be quarter notes 160-170 or whatever tempo it is.

Gonna listen to the rest of the song now.

Goes 8 times but then on the 8th time it's a measure of 8/4 (more easily notated as two measures of 4/4)

Verse is in 6/4 the snare is on beats 3 and 6 and the snare fill is just + 6 +

At that new part at 0:54 still in 6/4.

Next verse, same thing... except that transition at the end is 2 measures of 4/4 much like the transition after the intro.

That transition is 3 4 + : 1 - - + - - 4 - if that helps

Bridge at 1:15 6/4 like the verse

SATAN!! part at 1:30 still in 6/4

Guitar solo portion in half-time feel 4/4. So the snare is on beat 3 each time.

(badass guitar solo by the way)

Next part with the keyboard and the drums drum out could either be called 3/4 or 6/4

3:00 intro again just half as long. same transition at the end

Verse again yadda yadda with the two measure of 4/4 as a transition

SATAN!!1 and pre-SATAN!!!1 part are in 6/4

More SATAN!!1 and guitar/key/whatever that is solo that is at the end is in 6/4 ends with + 6 + on the toms.

Hope I've helped you some. If you have any more specific questions just give me a reference to what time (chronologically, not meter) in the song something and is and I can go into it in more detail. I think the time signatures are throwing you off because the transitions between a few parts are two quick measures of 4/4 that can easily throw you off.

Does my 1 + 2 + 3 + etc... (or 1 an 2 an 3 an...) way of counting help. Tap your foot along to the quarter notes which are at a pretty fast tempo.

Thank you so much for this already! It is blowing my mind I am telling you, not having the right concepts for grasping it. I do look forward to seeing the rest of your analysis.

Thank you so much for this already! It is blowing my mind I am telling you, not having the right concepts for grasping it. I do look forward to seeing the rest of your analysis.

OK done and done (edited the post if you didn't see it). Am I helping or only confusing you more. Someone else might count this in more of a half time feel but as far as math goes and the lowest-common-denominator rules the quarter note stays constant the whole song at about 170 or whatever tempo that is. Maybe a bit slower than that. So just stomp along and that should help you, because the pulse doesn't change, just the amount of quarter notes per measures. Never strays into any kind of x/8 part

Thank you so very much, Kevin K, for this very detailed analysis! I have googled and googled but have been unable to find any comments on the time/meter - so this really fills a void.

EDIT: I am having trouble counting the verse as 6/4 though. Whatever the time measure, it appears to me like: 1123|1123|etc. where the 1-1 have sort of a triplet feel. Thus:

Thank you so very much, Kevin K, for this very detailed analysis! I have googled and googled but have been unable to find any comments on the time/meter - so this really fills a void.   EDIT: I am having trouble counting the verse as 6/4 though. Whatever the time measure, it appears to me like: 1123|1123|etc. where the 1-1 have sort of a triplet feel. Thus:

Yeah I see what you're saying. You're counting the accent pattern. I wrote it into Cakewalk see if this helps you. This is the verse. The HiHat keeps that quarter note pulse that never gets lost through the whole song, that's your "standard" if you will. Tap your foot along with that. That's the main "beat" but there's slight variations here and the hihat is opened and closed here and there What other parts should I write out. Er, are you able to read music? I don't do drum "tabs."

Hi Kevin K!

Thank you very much for this! That is a tremendous help. Yes, I can read music, having played the cornet - although that was quite a long time ago. I want to develop a proper understanding of it though. Do you know if there are any books or web sites out there teaching complex time, preferably with exercises and such? (I'll se what Amazon has to offer.)

Best regards

Anders