Lately I’ve been exporing the idea of changing the presentation of songs already written.  I’ve had the experience of writing a song, liking the ideas – melody, lyric, chords… but something still doesn’t seem right.  Of course, sometimes I can’t solve that problem!  But a few times I’ve tried changing the time signature – taken something I’ve written in 4/4 and tried it in 3/4 or 6/8, or taken something I’ve written in 3 and changed it to 4.  This changes the ‘feel’ of the song, sometimes dramatically.

See “Explanatory Sidenote” below if you don’t understand about Time Signatures – 4/4, 3/4, etc.

Pretty much everything with a tempo is in a subdivision of 3 or 2, or a combination of them (such as 5/4, 7/4).  I usually write in 4/4 or some variation of 3/4 (such as 6/4, 12/8), and every once in a while it turns out that I wrote the song in 3 and it actually sounds better in 4, or in 4 when it sounds better in 3.  And some songs sound good both ways… and that’s worth knowing.

As examples of changing the time signature/feel of a song, the R&B classic ‘Knock On Wood’ (Floyd/Cropper) by Eddie Floyd, originally in straight 4/4, was redone in a 12/8 feel – a fast shuffle – by Amii Stewart.  The standard ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ was originally written in 3/4 but then changed to 4/4 (by Quincy Jones, then an arranger) for Frank Sinatra.  Now it’s almost always performed in 4/4 (face it, it’s still Frank’s world).

This is something I try occasionally… sometimes the results are good, sometimes interesting, sometimes ridiculous… but worth keeping in mind as an option.  It really shakes things up, making a song sound and feel really different.  So if you try it, give it a little time.  The song will often sound really out of sorts at first, before you make the necessary adjustments in the rhythm and melody (and sometimes even lyrics).

(Explanatory sidenote: A ‘time signature’ includes 2 numbers with a “/ “in between… such as 4/4, 3/4, etc.  The first number tells you how many notes are in one bar.  The second number of the time signature – after the “/”, and usually a ‘4’ or ‘8’ – tells you what kind of note you’re counting – 4 means a quarter note, 8 means an eighth note, etc.

Hence 4/4 = four quarter notes per bar.  3/4 = 3 quarter notes per bar.  12/8 = twelve eighth notes per bar.  Etc.

 ‘In 3’ includes 3/4, 6/4, 3/8, 6/8 – anything where the first number of the time signature can be divided by 3.  Similarly, something ‘in 2’ includes 2/4, 4/4 – anything where the first number can be divided by 2 [and NOT by 3].

Time signatures such as 5/4, 7/4, 11/8 – anything not a simple multiple of 2 or 3 – are much less common and are sometimes called ‘odd time signatures’.  They’re not really odd, though (when played well).  Just much less common.

If you don’t understand the above four paragraphs, please read them again.  If you still don’t understand, let me know; I’ll try to make it clearer!)