Enthralling odd meters: mysterious music with odd time signatures and complex rhythms
Suddenly, but have you heard the musical term “irregular time signatures”? Many of you probably learned concepts like 4/4 in music class, but unlike common meters like 4/4 or 3/4, pieces that use unconventional meters such as 5/4 or 7/4—or even switch between multiple meters within a single song—are collectively referred to as “irregular time signatures.” They might sound a bit niche, but in fact, you can find irregular meters in pop songs, anime themes, and more that you hear every day.
In this article, we’ll introduce songs that use these intriguingly unusual time signatures, spanning a variety of genres.
Be sure to try counting along as you listen!
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Enthralling odd meters: Mysterious music with odd time signatures and complex rhythms (21–30)
Mission ImpossibleLalo Schifrin
When it comes to songs in 5/4 time, many people mention the jazz piece “Take Five,” but in fact, the theme from “Mission: Impossible” also proceeds in 5/4 time.
It’s a tune everyone has heard at least once, but some may not have noticed because the melody leaves such a strong impression.
Even with odd meters, once you internalize the melody line, the sense of irregularity tends to disappear—but it’s hard to shake off that deeply ingrained feeling of 4/4 time, isn’t it?
The OceanLed Zeppelin
One of the bands that shaped the history of hard rock, Led Zeppelin.
When it comes to odd time signatures in their songs, some might think of Black Dog, but that one is a “polyrhythm” that only sounds like an odd meter—you can actually count it in 4/4.
On the other hand, The Ocean really does use an odd meter: the main riff is in 15/8.
It may be easier to feel it as 8 + 7.
When the vocals come in, it shifts to 4/4, but the guitar solo returns to the main riff’s rhythm, making it especially compelling to listen to.
Bewitching odd meters: Enigmatic music with odd time signatures and complex rhythms (31–40)
narrow storyMaison book girl
The four-member female idol group Maison book girl is an unconventional idol act that incorporates elements reminiscent of contemporary music.
This song also features striking irregular meters, but it’s fundamentally built in triple time.
The A section is in 7/4, grouped as 3+4, making it one beat longer; the B section is in 10/4, grouped as 3+3+4, also one beat longer; and the chorus is in 3/4.
If you listen straight through, you may lose the beat and feel your head spinning, so start by listening to just the drums, counting on your fingers to find the groove.
Also pay attention to the literary lyrics that ride atop this complex rhythm.
All You Need Is LoveThe Beatles
This is arguably the most famous example of odd-time rock.
For people who were used to 4/4 and waltz-time 3/4, it must have been shocking.
The A section is said to be in 7/4, but it might be easier to feel the groove by counting it as 4/4 + 3/4.
After this, the Beatles wrote many more songs in odd meters, such as “She Said She Said,” so this is a great chance to explore a variety of their tracks.
AliveUehara Hiromi
Hiromi Uehara can rightly be called one of Japan’s leading jazz pianists.
Since her debut with a piano trio, she has gone on to perform solo, explored a quartet with guitar, and in 2011 launched The Trio Project with bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Simon Phillips, achieving further musical evolution.
Among the trio’s repertoire, one of the most technically demanding odd-meter pieces is the title track of her 2014 album “ALIVE.” Amid the whirlwind of shifting time signatures, the most complex section is an astonishing 27/16.
Can you keep up with that rhythm?
Pictures at an Exhibition: PromenadeModest Mussorgsky
I’m currently active as a member of an orchestra, so classical music is full of irregular time signatures.
In the opening of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, the horn melody alternates between 5/4 and 6/4 time.
If you count it out on your fingers, I think you’ll go, “Oh, I see.” I’m impressed that you can create such a familiar-sounding melody even in irregular meter.
bearYano Akiko
Speaking of Akiko Yano, many people now know her name from TV and other media, but her first album, “JAPANESE GIRL,” was truly something of a mutation in the pop scene at the time.
If you listen to this track, “Kuma,” you’ll immediately sense the uniqueness of her talent as she sings over music reminiscent of Japanese folk songs, shifting back and forth between 5/4 and 4/4 time.
Incidentally, the American rock band Little Feat participated in the recording of the album, and there’s even a story that their leader, Lowell George—so astonished by her talent—refused to accept payment, saying they weren’t up to the task.