Odd Times

This group is for all the odd times / complex signature fans.

"Signatures which do not fit into the usual duple or triple categories are known as complex, asymmetric, or irregular, although these are broad terms, and usually a more specific description is appropriate. Most often these can be recognised by the upper number being 5, 7, or another, larger, prime number. The earliest examples of irregular signatures are found in instrumental music by Giovanni Valentini (1582–1649) and Anton Reicha (1770–1836), written in 5/4, 9/8, etc. Although these more complex meters were common in non-Western music, they were rarely used in formal written Western music until the late 19th century . The waltz-like second movement of Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony (premiered in 1893) and the theme from Mission: Impossible, are two of the more familiar examples of 5/4. Examples from the 20th century include Holst's "Mars, the Bringer of War," (5/4) from the orchestral suite The Planets, and the ending of Stravinsky's Firebird (7/4).

To indicate more complex patterns of stresses, such as additive rhythms, more complex time signatures can be used. For example, the signature 3.2.3/8 which can be written (3+2+3)/8, means that their are 8 quaver beats in the bar, divided as the first of a group of three eighth notes (quavers) is to be stressed, then the first of a group of two, then first of a group of three again. The stress pattern is usually counted as one-two-three-one-two-one-two-three. This kind of time signature is commonly used to notate folk and non-Western types of music. In classical music, Béla Bartók and Olivier Messiaen have used such time signatures in their works."

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