The Three Four Time Signature
This time signature is called the three four time signature. It tells you there are three beats in each bar. Three four time is also know as waltz time. There are three quarter notes in one bar of ^ time
Up to this point, everything you have learnt has been in * time. Most songs you play will be in * time, but occasionally you will encounter other key signatures. Three four time (^) is also based on quarter notes, but there are three beats per bar instead of four. A good way to get started with ^ time is to play the bass drum on the first beat of the bar and the hi hat with the left foot on beats two and three as demonstrated in the following example.
Next, try adding the ride cymbal and the snare drum. Remember to count as you play.
A basic Swing beat in ^ time can be created by playing swing eighth notes on the second beat.
Here is a slightly more complex two bar pattern. Experiment and make up some of your own beats.
Don’t forget to try out some ^ beats using straight eighth notes as well as swing eighth notes.
The Twelve Eight Time Signature
This time signature is called the twelve eight time signature. It tells you there are twelve eighth note beats in each bar.
A bar of eighth notes in twelve eight time sounds the same as a bar of triplets in four four time. Although there are twelve individual beats which can be counted, twelve eight time is usually still counted in four as demonstrated in the following example.
Here are some typical beats in twelve eight time.
These next two involve the left foot playing the hi-hats. Because of this, the right hand part is played on the ride cymbal.
One of the main reasons for using the twelve eight time signature instead of * is that it becomes easier to count when the eighth notes are subdivided. Since there is a number on each eighth note, sixteenth notes can be counted as + (and) as demonstrated in the following example.
The right hand part in this example shows one of the common ways sixteenth notes are used in twelve eight time.
This example is notated exactly the same as the previous one, but on the recording the sixteenth notes are swung. Listen to the recording to hear the difference. Swinging sixteenth notes is common in twelve eight time.
Here is another twelve eight groove which makes use of swinging sixteenth notes. In the last part of the fill in bar 2, the left hand plays the snare while the right hand plays the floor tom.
