time signatures?

What's a crotchet?

 

Isn't that what women do with string and a hooky stick thing?

 

a crotchet is a british quarter note...

 

jazzbo,
Stand in front of a mirror. ...... Reach down the front of your pants. What is in your hand? No, it isn't a crotchet.

A crotchet is either a 1/4 note or an 1/8 note I can't remember. It is just another name for a note time value, I just can't remember which one.

 

...they(our buddies across the Pond)will also use quavers, semiquavers, etc.

I think one is an 1/8th note, the other a 1/16th.

 

Crotchets and other names like it are the terms used in traditonal european classical music.

Crotchet = 1/4 note

Quaver = 1/8 note

Semiquaver = 1/16 note

Demisemiquaver = 1/32 note

Hemidemisemiquaver = 1/64 note

and so on...

Oh yeah

Minim = 1/2 note

Semibrieve = errr do you guys call it a whole note?

Brieve = Twice the length of what i think you guys call a whole note.

I am not sure if there are any other terms for longer notes, I think they employ ties for longer notes. anyone know??

This is just the terminology i was taught at school. I think they are german terms. again, anyone know??

 

Yeah, generally you'll know when to write a piece in a certain time signature, as it just makes more sense... As I believe Ed pointed out earlier, it's all about where the pulse of the music winds up happening. It gets really obvious when something is in say 11/8. I personally am a sucker for odd meter stuff, there was a tune I played in a jazz group in college that was in 13/16 time. The solo section was real fun, as it was 4 bars of 13/16, 6 bars of 4/4, and then 2 bars of 13/16. Talk about a nightmare to keep straight.

 

Well it does make a difference - 2/4 is usually classed as "a march" - so 2/4 is marching time!

So most (authentic) Samba is in 2/4 as the idea is that it is marching music for the processions in the Rio Carnival and similar.