What timing is that riff in YYZ?

[BrandonBass]

The intro is 5/4 then geddy lee and alex would do a riff before it goes to the main 4/4 hook.

I can never catch that riff....help!~

[Mark Wilson]

It's in 4/4. Just displaced.

[NKBassman]

Fun fact, the rythmn of the opening riff is actually the morse code signal for Y-Y-Z.

[I<34080]

Originally Posted by NKBassman

Fun fact, the rythmn of the opening riff is actually the morse code signal for Y-Y-Z.

See sig, and replace - with C and . with F#

[fleabee]

Its also the code for Toronto Pearson International Airport

[Mesa XI]

I'm counting 5/4

[Febs]

Originally Posted by Mesa XI

I'm counting 5/4

Me too.

q=quarter note
e=eighth note

q e q q q e | q q q q e e |

[AltGrendel]

And here I thought it was in 7/4.



Silly me.

[Rick Robins]

12/8 written from the start of the rest mesure after the 5/4 intro to the end.
I myself count it out as 3 measures of 2/4 for the rest with the ascending run starting on the 2 of the 3rd measure of rest & playing over 5 more measures of 2/4 (7 total) then to 4/4.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi3muTZEFJQ

[ffutterman]

Wikipedia says the intro is 5/4, for what it's worth.

[T. B. Player]

You can say it's in 5/4...but the lick repeats in 10 beats, so if you said 10/4, you'd also be correct.

Z

[Mark Wilson]

Guys, he's not talking about the morse code part.

[I<34080]

You could cheat and look at the powertab.

[Rick Robins]

Originally Posted by Mark Wilson

Guys, he's not talking about the morse code part.

I wrote the part in question out. Starting just after the 5/4 section ends @0:38
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi3muTZEFJQ
I attached a jpeg below. Written in 12/8.

[Johnny Crab]

Bass ISO'd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DLjj0Vjno0

Drums. Paul(drummer here) sometimes narrates as he did for Red Barchetta but not here....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Ay9XFq7As

[Marco A. Mayer]

I'm amazed by the fact that the most complex Rush instrumental was mostly in 4/4, considering that Rush is known for abrupt time sig changes. They make those changes sound so natural, though.

[Billnc]

Originally Posted by I<34080

See sig, and replace - with C and . with F#

I did HFDF and was a Morse copier in the army.

[taphappy]

Originally Posted by Rick Robins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi3muTZEFJQ

Cool! Ah!! NOW I know why I could never figure out the last part of the album version of that bass/tom run at the end (4:19). Sneaky bugger harmonized with himself :)

For this bit, Wiki says: "A brief (one measure of two-four time; i.e., a half-note rest) pause follows, before the next section...playing up- and down-scale runs for three measures (the first and third in common time and the second in two-four time), in unison."

Mrrrrrr. Dunno about that. Then again, I always counted it as a 3-and after the last stab, then pattern recognition after that.

Played with it for a min, after the two measure ride-only intro, it'll count straight through in 5/4 at 103bpm. Then it's around 140 at the verse. Ride intro was apparently overdubbed - it's at 112bpm. Peart...uh...sped it up.

Ha! Grievous pun avoidance!

If anyone wants to geek out and attack it from another angle, it's a bit squirrely, and my brain ain't workin right these days. Got bored, SS'd a pic with 16ths on the top - should be pretty obvious where it starts. Measure 28 (big hit at the end) = first beat of 4/4 verse:

[hachi kid]

I wonder whenever they wrote this, if they thought in 30 years, or so, people around the world would be arguing what time signature it was in. ^_^

[sammyp]

there was probably a visual aspect to the timing of the last riff - in the recording studio i mean....ie: alex and geddy watch neil for a little cue for that last fast run....