You refer to 4/4 as the default?
Comment on Why Are There Fourth Notes in Bars That Only Count to Three?
gigastasio@sh.itjust.works 1 week ago
The term “quarter note” or “fourth note” applies to the note because there are four of them in a whole note. In other words, the names of the notes apply to their subdivisions respective to each other, not the time signature.
RockBottom@feddit.org 1 week ago
gigastasio@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
I don’t refer to 4/4 at all.
I refer first to the whole note, existing independently of any time signature. In fact, you don’t even have to assign a rhythmic value to it for now; the purpose of this exercise is to learn why the rhythmic names of the notes are what they are.
Next, envision the half note. So named because they are exactly half the value of the whole note. Two half notes = one whole note. With me so far?
Next, we move to the note in question - the quarter note. So named because it takes four of them to equal the rhythmic value of the whole note.
Now this is important: You originally called it the “fourth note.” So take note: do not confuse the word “fourth” here to mean “fourth in a series,” or “the fourth beat of the measure,” because that’s not the correct application of the word. “Fourth” in this context is synonymous with “quarter.” So a “fourth note” as you call it is so named because it’s one-fourth (¼) the value of the whole note.
This is about as EILI5 as I can make this.
RockBottom@feddit.org 6 days ago
Why divide rhythmic values at their center and not at the third or fifth?
gigastasio@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
I wish you and your teachers the best of luck in your musical studies.
RockBottom@feddit.org 1 week ago
I would need an audio example.
Slatlun@lemmy.ml 1 week ago
You’re getting down voted because your comment is confusing music with musical notation. You can’t hear whether someone is playing a whole note or a quarter note. You can keep rhythm and say that note was 4 times longer than the last one. 1/4 notes will always be 1/4 the length of a whole note in the same song (assuming no time signature or tempo changes), but they don’t define a certain length of note in real time.
RockBottom@feddit.org 1 week ago
Downvoted? Who would care about that bs?
Slatlun@lemmy.ml 1 week ago
It is an indicator that you’re heading in the right direction or not on topic for your question. You don’t have to have an emotional response to data for it to relevant.
foggy@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Yeah. OP should be asking why a whole note only fits 1 bar of 4/4.
gigastasio@sh.itjust.works 1 week ago
I had the idea that a way to solve this would’ve to create a symbol that means, “play this note for the entire duration of the measure, regardless of meter.” As far as I know such a symbol doesn’t exist in standard notation.
foggy@lemmy.world 1 week ago
It’s because it would t help for sight reading the way you might think. Especially where there’s multiple voices like in complex piano parts. For example of you want one note to for 8 eighth notes in 4/4, but some to go for 10. Now we have to choose to use current notation or the new fangled “whole measure” or even “rest of measure” notation, and if using new fangled, we still use old notation for edge cases.
It’s hard to fight the status quo.