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changin time signatures

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Mikendher:
I really like it when songs change time signatures, especially when it sounds natural. what kinds of bands do you guys like who do this?

also, it's really awesome to do one time signature over another so they overlay into the product, though i don't know any music that does this

MilkmanDan:
Math Rock

RUMBLEMOOSE:
Percy Grainger has a few pieces that mess with time signatures a lot. Most of Lincolnshire Posy, for example; the beginning of one movement doesn't have a time signature, and one whole movement changes time signature almost every measure, adding in little 1/8 and 1/16 bars.

<--- band geek

Also, the Mahavishnu Orchestra had some weird metric shifting going on in a lot of songs. "Vital Transformation" is basically in 4-and-a-half/4 (there are four pulses, but one of them is half a beat longer than the others) but then lapses into 9/8 every once in a while.

Two signatures at once is called "polymeter" and Bartok used it a bit and I just looked it up on Google so I'm basically cheating. :(

SpacemanSpiff:
Let me add the Wikipedia entry here, I found it most useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Math_rock
As a math rock geek, I would have to say that a few the bands mentioned in the link above are not exactly of core importance to the genre. A list about math rock without Shellac for example is simply incomplete.

Apart from that: I'm a drummer, so rhythmical complexity really appeals to me and straight songs often seem really boring to me, even if the music as such isn't.

For bands, I would recommend: Shellac, North of America, June of 44, Slint, Polvo, Bastro, Don Caballero, Drive Like Jehu, 31 Knots, Ruins, The Flying Luttenbachers (though the later two could also be considered avantgarde jazz or something). Those are the ones I like a lot that I can name off the top of my hat.

For some prime examples, check out:
Shellac - Didn't We Deserve A Look At You The Way You Really Are - extremely precisely played song with very subtle drumming variation
Shellac - Song Against Itself - The last part has guitars and bass and drums battling each other rhythmically, only to suddenly find a single beat again
North of America - Wet to Dance - Excellent transition from 4/4 to 13/8 in the chorus
North of America - Yes, This Is A Rant - the classic mathy 3/4 to 4/4 and back thing
North of America - Every Mirror We Broke Was A Black Cat - 9/8, 4/4, 7/8 ... what the hell?
June of 44 - Cut Your Face - too lazy to add comments from now on
31 Knots - The Story of Ivan Normal
Drive Like Jehu - Here Come The Rome Plows


If you want something harder, check out technical hardcore, with bands such as Into The Moat, Ion Dissonance, Botch or Dillinger Escape Plan. Very complex songs that pack a lot of punch too.
Some grindcore bands, such as The Locust and Daughters also have very complex songs, even if it sounds like complete chaos at first.

As for Ruins and The Flying Luttenbachers: Especially the latter are rhythmically so complex that mentioning beats would be useless anyway. This is certainly not for the faint of heart, but if you like complex time signatures, you will love them.

If you want to, I can hook you up with links to tons of free (and legal) MP3s, but I'm too lazy to just post them here without any certain interest.

RUMBLEMOOSE:
Oh shit, Don Cab. "Don Caballero 3" is an experience. I've been listening to it for three years (nonstop, mind you) and I still can't figure out what the hell is going on.

Links to sheet music would blow my gourd. kthx

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