Still not getting 'half time'

[CBK81]

You could also count some heavy triplet dubstep as 6/8.

[mks]

if you make dubstep at 70bpm, it won't be half time.

half time means, there are 2 quarter notes per 4 beats.

That would be two half notes per bar actually....

Sub-divide them however you want, you are still in 4/4 @ 140 tempo.

Nah mon. It means exactly what I said it means. The four in 2/4 refers to the length of notes played.

There is still going to be 4 beats per bar in 4/4 at 140. If you are playing the halftime feel, it doesn't mean two of those beats just disappear, you are just feeling those as half notes. Set up a metronome and count it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_signature

I'm not trying to be rude, but you don't understand how time signatures work. Notice the part where it says 2/4 timing means there are 2 quarter notes per bar... ask a music teacher if you don't trust wiki.

Alright star, show me 2/4 at 140 tempo. 2/4 means you are playing two quarter notes per bar. You are the one who obviously does not understand time signatures. Playing a 2/4 measure at 140 bpm would only give you two quarter notes per that bar and the way the half time feels would put the snare on the THIRD quarter note of a 4/4 measure. It could be done, but the pattern would play over two bars with a kick on the one and a snare on the one of the next measure.

A 2/4 would only work for one bar at 70 BPM but people usually write it at 140. Time to do some studying... You should learn your tempos, bar structure etc.



Are you just getting your information off of wiki or do you actually know how to play it?



Seriously, count this out star. There is even numbers in this picture. This is where you get the kick on one, snare on three pattern in a 4/4 measure at 140 BPM.

[Irvs]

My understanding of using 70BPM is some people find it a bit easier to manage their patterns and find it's easier to add swing to your drums

[bassinine]

I'm not going to argue with you, I thought what you did until my guitar teacher corrected me. plus, I'm not aguing the specifics of what time signature dubstep is. Half time as in 2/4 means 2 quarter notes per bar - notice how I never said anything about on and off beats. Half time in a dubstep sense really just means they took a break and halved its tempo.

[therapist]

It doesn't seem right to be saying the time signature is different just because on element is half-time, but it would surely be 2/2 if anything? Two half notes per bar, which would explain why some people feel it s halved tempo,

You could also count some heavy triplet dubstep as 6/8.

People (on here at least) often refer to 4/4 tracks with triplet beats as 3/4 or 6/8, I've not seen many that actually break from 4/4.

[AllNightDayDream]

halved its tempo.

^ all it is.

Opposite would be cut time.

[slothrop]

It doesn't seem right to be saying the time signature is different just because on element is half-time,

Agree. If you say 'kick on one, snare on three' then you're talking about 4/4. Otherwise it'd be 'kick on one, snare on two'.

I always keep it 140BPM because it seems like a more natural way to write stuff that combines the half-time feel with a bit of the swing or the twitch or whatever of the 140BPM and not just degenerate into plodding.

[bassinine]

http://mathandmusic.tripod.com/rhythm.htm

"The bottom number (equivalent to the denominator in mathematics; think denomination), tells the length of one beat, in relation to the whole note. For example - x/1 means each beat is worth one whole note. x/16 means each beat is worth one sixteenth note, and so on. Remember, we are dividing by this number, which is why as this number increases, the length of a beat decreases.

The top number (equivalent to the numerator in mathematics, think number), tells the number of beats in each individual bar, in relation to the 1/x means there is one beat in each bar, 5/x means there are five beats in each bar, etc."


[2. How are time signature rules broken?

Very easily in fact. Often 'grace notes' (smaller than regular notes) are added into a bar. This is a note played very quickly as part of the next note, and does not receive any note value. Also, in the middle of a piece the composer may change the time signature, allowing for a changing of these rules. Often this time signature is for only one or two bars.]


again, this has nothing to do with dubstep. yes, most dubstep is 4/4. this is info to help people that don't get what a time signature is.

[slothrop]

^ Sorry if I'm being dense, but apart from randomly quoting definitions, what's the actual point that you're trying to make?

[CBK81]

Just produce at either 140 or 70. It makes no difference at all. At 140 the snare is on the 3, at 70 it's on the 2 and 4.

[bassinine]

^ Sorry if I'm being dense, but apart from randomly quoting definitions, what's the actual point that you're trying to make?

the fact that the "4" in 2/4 represents quarter notes (the length of notes). the "2" tells how many beats there are.

apparently people seem to get this reversed... and that's what i was clarifying.

[therapist]

^ Sorry if I'm being dense, but apart from randomly quoting definitions, what's the actual point that you're trying to make?

the fact that the "4" in 2/4 represents quarter notes (the length of notes). the "2" tells how many beats there are.

apparently people seem to get this reversed... and that's what i was clarifying.

I think everyone gets that. But if you're just counting a half time kick and snare you count two half notes, not two quarter notes. I don't think saying that halftime is transposing a beat to 2/4 is right.

Regardless, my main issue with all of this is that people think dubstep has to have the snare on 3.

[bassinine]

ah, yeah. i see what you're saying. cut common time is what you're talking about, as in 4/4 -> 2/2 = half time.

i guess i was lingering on the definition of a time signature - when you all were saying simply that dubstep is 2/2, not 2/4.

oh, and lingering on the fact that "two-step" is either 2/4 or 4/4.

[zawmbee]

Haha, you guys have probably confused OP.

[slothrop]

I think everyone gets that. But if you're just counting a half time kick and snare you count two half notes, not two quarter notes. I don't think saying that halftime is transposing a beat to 2/4 is right.

Erm, it depends. It's kind of confusing reading all this stuff if you don't specify really pedantically what you're saying. (And, as I'm about to demonstrate, quite boring if you do.) For instance "140 beats per minute" doesn't tell you much if you don't specify what the beat is.

The following are all valid ways of writing a halfstep beat:
4/4 crotchet = 140bpm kick on 1 snare on 3
2/4 crotchet = 70bpm kick on 1 snare on 2
4/4 crotchet = 70bpm kick on 1 and 3 snare on 2 and 4 (so the bar lasts twice as long in terms of actual time and contains two kick-snare patterns)

Or you could replace any of those by halving the bottom number and changing the tempo to be in minims eg
4/2 minim = 140bpm
2/2 minim = 70bpm

or keeping the bottom number the same, changing the tempo to be in minims and halving it

4/4 minim = 70bpm
2/4 minim = 35bpm

or halving the bottom number, keeping the tempo in crotchets and doubling it:
4/2 crotchet = 280bpm
2/2 crotchet = 140bpm

But the former would be quite pointless and the latter two would be very pointless.

Basically, time signatures actually have a bit of redundancy built in ie there are multiple ways of writing the same thing.

Regardless, my main issue with all of this is that people think dubstep has to have the snare on 3.

[therapist]

Well, yeah, there's a million ways to express it. As I said, it's kind of pointless debating tempos/time signatures when we're talking about incredibly simple dance music. It's all 4/4, it's all 140. I guess to answer the OP you can work in any multiples of those, it won't affect the end result much.

[AllNightDayDream]

there are multiple ways of writing the same thing.

This. Regardless how you stretch it, 90% what you write and hear is in 4/4. No use over-complicating things.

[Ldizzy]

It is all moot though, like stated above: kick one, snare three... That's all you have to know for dub step.

[budsteq]

It is all moot though, like stated above: kick one, snare three... That's all you have to know for dub step.

fixed

[Capture pt]

i remember the days of this forum when a question like this would be answered concicsely and perfectly in the 2nd reply.

then i remember the days of this forum when a question like this would be answered by alpacas.


good to see people are trying to help each other out again!