Simple Time Signatures
Primary 6 · Creative Arts
Simple Time Signatures
Lesson 4 of 5
30 min
Let's begin
At a wedding in Rubavu, the band plays a gentle song. The guests sway from side to side: ONE two three, ONE two three, like a boat rocking on Lake Kivu.
"Feel that?" says Mutesi's grandmother. "That is the swing of three-four time."
In three-four time each bar has three crotchet beats. Count ONE two three, ONE two three. Beat 1 is strong and beats 2 and 3 are weak. Say EL-e-phant, EL-e-phant to feel it.
Any mix of notes and rests that adds up to 3 beats will fit:
The dotted minim (2 + 1 = 3 beats) fills a whole bar of three-four time on its own. A semibreve (4 beats) is too long.
A waltz is a dance in which couples turn round and round, and waltz music is written in three-four time. The most famous waltz composers were the Strauss family of Vienna: Johann Strauss II wrote the famous waltz The Blue Danube.
In a waltz, the accompaniment often plays a low note on beat 1 and higher notes on beats 2 and 3: OOM-pah-pah, OOM-pah-pah. Many lullabies and hymns are also in three-four time, because the swaying beat feels calm.
The conductor's hand goes down on beat 1, out to the right on beat 2 and back up on beat 3.
Ganzaa wrote this short song for you, The Cows Come Home. Clap the rhythm and count "1 2 3" in every bar before you sing.
Look at the long notes: the dotted minims in bars 4 and 8 fill whole bars, so hold each one for three full beats. The first line ends on so, so it sounds unfinished, like a question. The second line comes home to do.
Tip
Three-four sways. ONE two three, ONE two three, like a boat rocking or a waltz going OOM-pah-pah. A dotted minim fills the whole bar.
Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
Which single note fills a whole bar of three-four time?
Answer: A dotted minim (3 beats).
Is "crotchet, minim" a correct bar in three-four time?
Answer: Yes: 1 + 2 = 3 beats.
Is "minim, minim" a correct bar in three-four time?
Answer: No: 2 + 2 = 4, which is one beat too many.
In The Cows Come Home, which word is held for three beats at the end of the first line?
Answer: "hill".
In a waltz, what does "OOM-pah-pah" mean?
Answer: A low note on the strong beat 1, then higher notes on beats 2 and 3.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The song The Cows Come Home (words and tune), the wedding story, the rhythm drawings, the conducting diagram and the practice questions were written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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