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Hoots : What time signature has 3 out of 8 beats accented? It's been a very long time since I've done musical theory but I know this rhythm is quite common, especially in dance and even some punk/metal. So, some songs have 4 beats - freshhoot.com

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What time signature has 3 out of 8 beats accented?
It's been a very long time since I've done musical theory but I know this rhythm is quite common, especially in dance and even some punk/metal.

So, some songs have 4 beats to a bar but it has 2 triplets and 1 double.

In total, it consists of 8 notes however there are 3 accented notes. Like this:

1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2

It's not 4/4 (although you can count 4 beats) and it's not 6/8. (2 triplets to a bar).

Is it 8/8? What's the time signature?


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1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 is Calypso rhythm.

Although it appears it often has a 4/4 or 8/8 time signature, I have seen it 3+3+2/8. Even with a more regular time signature, you may find it notated with two dotted-crotchets (which shouldn't cross over the secondary beat on to the third crotchet) and a dotted bar-line before the fourth crotchet.


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The pattern of 3,3,2 is the first bar of the two bar sequence Bossa Nova. Generally written in 4/4. The 'ones' are accented, often on a snare drum, with the stick on the skin, tapping the rim. There's probably a proper name for that... if not, there's another question coming...


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Well, I cannot view the video in Germany but { 4. 4. 4 } (two dotted crotchets and one normal crotchet) is a common syncopated rendition of the "original" { 2 4 4 } (one minim and two crotchet) rhythm of 4/4 for tango. In fact, if you are not playing old arrangements of old tangos, you are much more likely to get the syncopated version these days, particularly in Tango Argentino.


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The original question specifies time signature.

Shouldn't the answer show an additive time signature?

The rhythm is common and can be expressed in notation with beaming or accent marks, etc. But there also is a time signature to represent it metrically.

Here is an example from Bartok's Mikrokosmos...


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It's a very common pattern, and it can (and probably should) definitely be notated in 4/4. It is the first half (the "three-side") of the traditional clave pattern.


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In addition to the other answers given, Bluegrass music typically follows a 3-3-2 pattern as well, usually picked out on the banjo.


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Yes, that would be 8/8. Mathematically it is the same with 4/4, but it differs on the accented beats. Where 4/4 would be:

1 2 3 4

8/8 is:

1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2

like the one in the song you provided.


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It's called a tresillo. As others have mentioned, it's the first half of many other rhythms, but the tresillo is an important rhythm in its own right.


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