The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #64469 Message #2644720
Posted By: Stringsinger
31-May-09 - 07:01 AM
Thread Name: Time Signatures: 2/4 or 4/4 time....
Subject: RE: 2/4 or 4/4 time....
The difference is rhythmic emphasis. A strong beat on ONE two, ONE two has a different
feel than ONE two three four, ONE two three four.
Some of the Sousa Marches are written in 2/4 and 6/8 in the time signature.
Early jazz (often called two beat) used a 2/4 time signature. The fox trot in the 30's emphasized a 4/4 or swing style rhythm.
I find it convenient to write out jazz solos in cut time (fast 4/4). The Earl Scruggs book correctly writes the note values in 2/4 since this is the main emphasis for bluegrass.
The "hornpipe" vrs. "reel" annotation is really vague. Both types of music can be written 2/4 or cut time (fast 4/4) and still retain the correct emphasis.
A lot has to do with how you ascribe the note value to the tune. An eighth note suggests a shorter value but doesn't necessarily have to be played that way. Four sixteenths in a bar of 2/4 is equivalent to four eighths in 4/4. The notation is a matter of convention.
I know it sounds as if though I'm contradicting myself here, but the true measure (no pun intended) is not the notes on the page but how they are interpreted. In cut time you can emphasize the first and the third beat equally which would suggest the same as 2/4.
Frank