Questions about note values and time signatures

[2xride-player]

Are you always supposed to count note values (4, 8th,16th, etc.) at the same pace? Or are the values dependent on the tempo you're playing at? Hope this makes sense.

Also can you guys tell me why the beat in this video(at around 2:07) is in 6/8 time? I'm having difficulty understanding the principles of time signatures. I''ve heard the top number is how many beats in a measure, and the bottom is which note gets the beat.

I haven't taken formal drum lessons, so the above confuses me. Thanks everyone.

[Numberless]

Hey man, if by pace you mean faster or slower, then yes, it depends on the tempo. Quarter notes at 100 bpm are slower than quarter notes at 200 bpm. Note values are relative, what will really determine the speed of a song is its tempo.

As for the time sigs, that's about right, the bottom number refers to the note value, in the case of 6/8 it means 6 eight notes per mesure, so all you have to do is basically count, in the video he counts to six before playing, just keep counting six and it fits very nicely with the whole groove.

A good teacher really helps in understanding all this.

[2xride-player]

Thanks Numberless. I appreciate the explanation.

And just so I understand, does the top number in something like the 6/8 time signature we're talking about, mean you can play 5 of those 6 eighth notes if you wanted to? Also where is the pulse in that 6/8 rhythm? Is it on just the 1, the 1 and 4, or something else entirely?

I can't really afford lessons at the moment but I was thinking about buying some beginner books and videos on drumming. Is there any that you recommend that would help me with the basics?

[toddbishop]

The note values (quarter, 8th, 16th, etc) are strictly relative to each other; however fast your quarter notes are, your 8ths will be twice as fast, and your 16ths will be twice as fast as that.

That explanation of time signatures is a little misleading, because the bottom number does not necessarily correspond to the number of beats. Instead just think of each measure as a container, with the time signature telling you how big the container is; the top number tells you how many notes a measure holds, and the bottom number tells you what kind of notes they're talking about. So in 6/8 each measure holds the total value of six 8th notes; in 5/4 each measure holds five quarter notes, or their equivalent in notes and rests.

You might actually read through my time signature "figure outer"- I tried to explain it assuming zero prior knowledge on the reader's part- hopefully it will help clarify a few things.

[Numberless]

Originally Posted by 2xride-player

Thanks Numberless. I appreciate the explanation.

And just so I understand, does the top number in something like the 6/8 time signature we're talking about, mean you can play 5 of those 6 eighth notes if you wanted to? Also where is the pulse in that 6/8 rhythm? Is it on just the 1, the 1 and 4, or something else entirely?

I can't really afford lessons at the moment but I was thinking about buying some beginner books and videos on drumming. Is there any that you recommend that would help me with the basics?

You can play anything you want, any combination of different notes and rest as long as at the end it equals 6 eight notes. Todd's container explanation is a cool and simple way of wrapping your head around it.

For the pulse, you can feel it as the six eight notes or if it's too fast to comfortably count up to six you can feel it as two dotted quarter notes, the 1 and 4 you mentioned: 1 2 3 4 5 6

[2xride-player]

Numberless, thanks again for helping me out.

Todd, you're link and explanation was very helpful. Thanks.

It's good to be amongst such knowledgeable people.

[toddbishop]

Originally Posted by 2xride-player

Numberless, thanks again for helping me out.

Todd, you're link and explanation was very helpful. Thanks.

Great, glad to hear it-- a teacher can straighten this stuff out in one or two lessons if you have any lingering questions. In can be difficult to illustrate this stuff online.

[Deathmetalconga]

Originally Posted by toddbishop

The note values (quarter, 8th, 16th, etc) are strictly relative to each other; however fast your quarter notes are, your 8ths will be twice as fast, and your 16ths will be twice as fast as that.

That explanation of time signatures is a little misleading, because the bottom number does not necessarily correspond to the number of beats. Instead just think of each measure as a container, with the time signature telling you how big the container is; the top number tells you how many notes a measure holds, and the bottom number tells you what kind of notes they're talking about. So in 6/8 each measure holds the total value of six 8th notes; in 5/4 each measure holds five quarter notes, or their equivalent in notes and rests.

You might actually read through my time signature "figure outer"- I tried to explain it assuming zero prior knowledge on the reader's part- hopefully it will help clarify a few things.

That is a really good explanation, the best I've ever heard, thanks.

It took me a long time to come to terms with the idea that you could have 3, 5, 6, etc. quarter notes in a measure.