Common Time Day!
Wednesday April 4, or 4/4, was Common Time Day! It’s a musician’s holiday to celebrate the time signature for probably 95% of the music of the world. One, two, three, four; one an two an three an four an; one an uh two an uh three an uh four an uh—it’s all 4/4!
Other musician holidays include Waltz Day, March 4; Take 5 Day, May 4; Slow Blues Day, June 8 (purists celebrate it December 8); Eight To The Bar Day, August 8; and Mission Impossible Day, October 8. Not to mention a very brief celebration on February 4, Cut Time Day. I’m sure there are more.
Please note that in Europe, most of these holidays are celebrated in April and August, i.e., Waltz Day is 3 April and Slow Blues Day (known over there as German Drinking Song Day) is 6 August.
Of course you do realize I am making all this up. At least, as far as I know.
Comments
Just what DOES "Eight to the bar" mean? Every time I hear LMPGG I wonder about that....
Posted by: April | April 9, 2007 08:52 AM
"Eight to the bar" refers to a so-called "straight 8s" rhythmic pattern, as opposed to a swing or shuffle feel. It's a more driving kind of feel, and is employed in most rock music, including Let My People Go-Go.
It's almost a given in most music today (though a lot of blues has a shuffle feel, and certainly there are plenty of rock and country shuffles). I think the phrase "Beat me big daddy, eight to the bar" dates to the earliest days of rock'n'roll, when the default rhythm would have been more of a swing feel. The singer is saying he doesn't want that, he wants that newfangled driving beat.
From a drummer's point of view, the big difference is that straight 8s patterns subdivide into twos and fours, while swing and shuffle beats subdivide into threes. There's a lot more to it than that, of course, but that's the biggest part of the idea.
Hope this helps.
Posted by: pat | April 9, 2007 10:35 AM
I'm dying here! Most of that was COMPLETELY over my head. (I'm a musical Squib)
I think I'll just try to remember that it is a rock and roll rhythm and leave it at that. :)
Thanks!
Posted by: April | April 9, 2007 01:08 PM
Sorry, April!
The best example of the difference I can think of offhand is to listen to the Marshall Crenshaw and Robert Gordon versions of "Someday, Some Way." The Crenshaw version is a shuffle, while the Gordon version is straight 8s.
I'd whip up an MP3 so you could compare a chorus of each, but apparently my copy of the Robert Gordon album has been lost to the ages. If I think of another song, I'll post it.
Otherwise, yeah, just think of it as something old rockers like to yell at odd moments.
Posted by: pat | April 9, 2007 01:26 PM
Would it be helpful, April, to note that a bar = a measure, which is four beats in common time, 3 in a waltz (two examples).
Posted by: Ellen | April 10, 2007 09:56 PM