Irregular metre

The bars of most songs and dances we know consist of equal groups: two, three or four beats. An irregular metre breaks this evenness. It contains a number of beats that cannot be divided into equal halves, such as five or seven. You therefore divide it into smaller groups of two and three beats. A note on usage: in traditional German metre teaching, triple metres such as 3/4 are also called “odd” (“ungerade”). Here, bars with asymmetrical grouping are meant; 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 count as even on this page.

How to divide irregular bars

The time signature does not reveal the grouping. A 7/8 bar can be divided 2+2+3, 3+2+2 or 2+3+2, depending on the melody. The stress follows from the grouping: each group begins with a light accent, the first group with the main accent. The two lines above show the same seven notes with different divisions. You recognise the division by the marked notes and hear it as soon as you play or tap yourself and set the secondary accents: the playback on the page plays all the eighth notes equally strongly.

Where they occur

Irregular metres occur in the folk music of the Balkans: in Bulgaria, for example, 7/8 and 11/8 are widespread. They are also used in jazz and rock, for instance in five-four time, as “Take Five” by Paul Desmond made it known. More on this time signature on the page Five-four time.

Counting

Do not count “1 2 3 4 5 6 7” but in groups: for 2+2+3 something like “1-2 1-2 1-2-3”. Counting in groups gives the body a clear pattern to which it can pin the stresses. Only when the groups sit securely does the bar stay in your head as a whole.