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[Victoria Waterfield]

In a time signature the top number is the number of beats per measure and the second number tells the length of the beat.  a 4 represents a quarter note.  So your standard 4/4 time is four beats per measure and a quarter note is one beat. This is the most common time signature, and probably 99.9 percent of rock and roll.  I can't even think off the top of my head of a rock song in 3/4 time.  I'll get back to you.

I thought Baby's In Black was in 3/4, but it turns out it only comes close, if Wikipedia is to be believed. That only matters if you count it as a rock song in the first place.

Then I googled "3/4 rock songs" and came across this list, some of which are actually 3/4 rock songs! Also, one of the entries is by Nice Pete.

[Nabubrush]

Manic Depression is a terrific example.

[theinevitable]

yes, these are good examples. I guess I didn't explain my question well. I understand what it means when someone says "this song is in 3/4." I could maybe figure out how to write something in 3/4 or 5/4 or whatever. What I can't do is hear a song and realize that it is in a particular time signature. Unless it does the ooom-pah-pah 3/4 thing. It probably boils down to ear-training. Right now I can convince myself that anything is a quarter note.

I think this is like Modes, where I want it to be a lot more complicated than it is. "wait, so a mode is all the same notes as a major scale, in the same order? So how is it any different!? You can play the same chords and melodies with both!" The issue is emphasis. You could write a 3/4 song out in 4/4 and the phrases would just end weird places in the measure, right?

[Nabubrush]

I don't think so, but I'm sure you know a lot more about the mechanics of music than I do. It might be just a thing that a person "gets", though - because it is really obvious to me that Manic Depression is in 3/4 time. It sounds like a waltz. You could waltz to it (and that should happen in a movie or at least in a YouTube video).

[Victoria Waterfield]

You could write a 3/4 song out in 4/4 and the phrases would just end weird places in the measure, right?

I don't think it's that simple, but I can't express why exactly because I know very little about music theory. But maybe listening to the demo version of Like A Rolling Stone, which is in 3/4 time, will help.

[miles]

See, I knew Manic Depression was 3/4, and when I took guitar lessons years (almost decades now, yikes) ago we went over how to identify it. Manic Depression was the example my instructor used. But looking at that list you linked to earlier, I'm either terrible at picking 3/4 songs out or don't care enough to bother. Probably a bit of both. I love that demo of Like a Rolling Stone, but never picked up on the time signature until just now.

It's hard to describe just writing it out, unless of course one can explain and understand music theory, but my instructor just played Manic Depression and had me count 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3 etc., and in my brain it clicked. It sounded right. If I tried the standard signature and counted 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4... it didn't click, sounded way off. And the point was you should be able to pick any song and do the same thing to figure it out. Or maybe I am completely wrong.

[Nabubrush]

my instructor just played Manic Depression and had me count 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3 etc., and in my brain it clicked.

That's how it worked for me, but I didn't know most of the songs on the list.

[miles]

I have listened to Rain Dogs scores of times, and never made the connection between 3/4 and Diamonds & Gold. He even does that count I mentioned earlier in the beginning. Maybe this helps?

That's how it worked for me, but I didn't know most of the songs on the list.

Every time I hear Manic Depression, I'll do the count thing in my head. Every single time. Still a great song though.

[pmcd9]

Not only is it in 3/4 time, but it's a series of 7 measure couplets rather than the standard 4 or 8.

[greenkoolayd]

the most creative users of time signature changes in my collection are The Mars Volta, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Mr. Bungle

[Carlos del Vaca]

This Broken Social Scene song (which is my #1 all-time track on last.fm) is called "7/4" for a reason.

[miles]

Then there's this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YPaPSyU-Vc

Also partially 7/4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLZBhlTXHuo

[pmcd9]

The intro to A Farewell to Kings alternates between 7/4 and 4/4 before settling into 4/4 for the body of the song.

And in Manic Depression those 3/4 measures are strung together in couplets of 7.  It could be written as 7/4.

The main body of I Want You (She's So Heavy) is a really weird time signature and the second half is 5/4.

[Carlos del Vaca]

Then there's Primus' "Eleven," which I have a hard time seriously calling 11/4 time.  More like 3/4 with two extra beats stuck in every three bars.

[Nabubrush]

I think I remember that some Tool songs have weird time signatures, but I haven't listened to them in a long time.