72 Par t 2:Rhythms
Just as 4/4 is sometimes called common time, 2/2 is sometimes called cut time.
You can indicate 2/2 by either the normal time signature, or by a large C with a
line through it, like this:2/2 time is cut-time—thus you cut a “C” in half.Changing the Time
You always indicate the time signature at the very beginning of a piece of music.
However, you don’t have to keep the same time signature through the entire
song; you can change time anywhere you want in a piece of music; even for just
a measure or two!
If the meter changes in the middle of a song, you insert a new time signature at
the point of change. This new time signature remains in effect through the rest
of the song, or until another new time signature is introduced.
Here’s what a time change looks like in the middle of a piece of music:In most music nota-
tion, the time signa-
ture is shown only
on the first line of
music (or when there’s a
time change)—unlike the
key signature, which is
typically shown at the start
of each line.TipChanging time signatures in the middle of a song.Grouping the Beats
If you see a piece of music in 9/8 and despair about counting that high (nine’s a
lot higher than four), there’s a way around the problem. You can do as many
musicians do: Chop up each measure into smaller groupings.
When you’re playing in odd time signatures—especially those with more than
four beats per measure—it’s common to subdivide the beats within a measure
into an easier-to-grasp pattern. Using smaller groupings not only makes each
measure easier to count; it also makes the music flow better. When you sub-
divide measures in this fashion, you create sub-rhythms behind the basic beat,
which makes the music easier to listen to.
For example, if you’re playing in 6/8 time, you could count all the beats evenly
(one, two, three, four, five, six)—or you could subdivide the beat. The most
common subdivision of 6/8 divides the measure into two equal parts, each con-
taining three beats, like this: