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From: rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Re: Time Signatures - (nf)
Message-ID: <574@pyuxn.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Apr-84 11:52:46 EST
Article-I.D.: pyuxn.574
Posted: Tue Apr 17 11:52:46 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Apr-84 07:15:16 EST
References: <694@tekchips.UUCP> <10800039@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Piscataway N.J.
Lines: 33
Keywords: Yes

One of the neatest thing about Close to the Edge (speaking of
time signatures) is the way that, on Total Mass Retain (second
section---how many Yes slugs out there can actually name all four
movements without looking), Anderson sings, Bruford drums (percusses?),
and Howe strums in 6/8 time, while Squire and Wakeman play together
in 4/4 (8/8?) time (remember those sudden out of nowhere bass guitar
and mellotron "booms" that pop in at seemingly inappropriate times?).

Yes had tried similar "counterrhythmic" (not really polyrhythmic) tricks
on "Perpetual Change" and "Heart of the Sunrise", but it didn't work quite
as well as on Close to the Edge.  Yes was often into using such things as
ways of showing off ("See, we're progressive!!"), but somehow they overcame
that tendency on Edge.  It was one of the hallmarks of their sound that they
never recovered in future work; any attempts at this on Topographic were
muddled by the poor production and the incredible lameness of Alan White
(his inability to do any more than [barely] keep time on this album might
have been the fatal blow; though I don't know if Bruford's eclectic style
would have helped matters---the album was far enough off in space as it
was, and White *was* hired to 'keep one foot on earth').

Enough ancient history...  Crimson's Discipline is full of examples of
Fripp and Belew playing in 4/4 and 7/8 at the same time, and Peter
Gabriel's "San Jacinto" is in 4/4 with a 7/8 sequencer riff in the background.
("Solsbury Hill" is in pure 7/8.)  Polyrock (produced by Philip Glass) has
a number of multirhythmic tricks on their first album.

Funny time signatures are often used as a way to impress impressionable
young aspiring musician types ("Wow, man, it's like jazz, far out!!")
(like me).  The bottom line is always "How does it sound?" and not "What
fancy technique did they use?"
-- 
"You are not morg.  You are not I-morg!!!"
					Rich Rosen    pyuxn!rlr