After writing my post on music in 5/4 time, I remembered a march in 7/4 time that I played in band many years ago. Here’s an excerpt, about all I can remember.
In case the music above is too hard to read, here’s a full-sized PDF file version.
Marches are always in even meters: your left foot has to come down on the first beat of every measure when you’re marching. And yet this odd meter tune comes across as a convincing march. (It was a concert march. Actually marching to it would have been odd, pun intended.)
This march had a 4/4 + 3/4 feel, emphasis on the first and fifth beats of each 7/4 measure.
I’ve just started blogging about music recently, and I’ve got a lot to learn. I’m not set up to record audio clips. My next post will describe the software I used to post the sheet music above.
Update: Many thanks to
Related post: Blue Rondo à la Turk
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
John S. 03.16.09 at 05:12
You might like Odd Time Obsessed Internet Radio:
http://www.oddtimeobsessed.com/
Jon Aston 03.16.09 at 09:10
Nikhil Chelliah 04.26.09 at 13:46
Sounds like the first movement from Robert Jager’s Third Suite – see here. I found a full recording online, but it was pretty lousy.
John 04.26.09 at 13:56
That’s it! Amazing. Thank you very much.
Rod 10.11.11 at 22:11
Hi,
I like your web site!
Thought I might at a comment that Pink Floyd’s “Money” from Dark Side of the Moon is in 7/4 time.
cheers, Rod
Matthew Wyatt 10.12.11 at 15:11
Mr. Cook,
I was in marching band for four years in High School. My senior year we performed excerpts from Holst’s The Planets. And yes – it was odd marching in 5/4 and 3/4. (Even though I was drum major, I still had to march in place while conducting.)
-Matt
Frank Wilhoit 10.13.11 at 05:56
You know how they count seven in the service bands, don’t you?
one-two-three-four-five-six-se-VEN
one-two-three-four-five-six-se-VEN….