Ok, I often times play guitar (as that seems logical since I'm a guitarist) and I just sorta jam. Though I can hold I rythem quite well, at least to my knowledge (so I've been told) I can't say I know what the time signatures I'm playing in are. How do I know if I'm in 4/4 5/4 or what?

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To my knowledge, every time sig. has a different pulse. Typically in rock, the 1 is strongest. Just count it from the strongest pulse. Or no, get examples of tunes that have different time signatures and then use that to get accustomed to how they feel. From the top of my head 'Love or Confusion' by Hendrix is 3/4, any other song is 4/4, I can't think of a 5/4 tune.

Count after the ever constant cymbol crash on 1 (lol) ... One Two Three Four Five One Two etc.

The original mission impossible theme is in 5/4. Hendrix's manic depression is in 9/8. If you like metal, listen to alittle meshuggah. They use crazy time sig's and rhythms. As for counting them, whatever rate your tap your foot to the tune. 1 is always on the beginning. the best way I think to get it is to get some actually sheet music, look at the time signature and music, and just listen to the music while looking at the score. It will click.

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Start simple, and get a solid grasp of 4/4 first. Counting and rhythm is very important.

Here's a good excercise, grab any chord you feel real comfortable with. Now just strum down playing to the 1/4 note counting 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 etc, put a little extra emphasis on the strum that falls on the downbeat of 1. Now do the same but slightly change it by throwing in an 8th note rhyhtm on beat 3...so you'll have 1 2 3 & 4 1 2 3 & 4. Keep adding to it, 1 2 3 & 4 &, then 1 & 2 3& 4&.

Once you feel comfortable with that try playing syncopations.

ex: 1 (2) + 3 + (4) the beats in parenthesis are not played. Doing stuff like this will help you out. Also try getting together with just a drummer sometime.

I would have to disagree, I think it's definetly a fast 3/4. It feels more like a fast quarter note feel then a med.-up triplet. Plus it would make more sense for when it goes to the A chord after each riff, in 3/4 it would just be 4 measures of 3/4, in 9/8 you would have to change the time signature to 12/8 or 2 measures of 6/8.

Your right although it changes switching back and forth. The main riff part is in 9/8. (Da-da-da Da-da-da Da-da-da) That's definitely 9/8, well at least to me. I would agree it would be 3/4, but there is a clear division of 3 between each beat, and 3 beats to a measure of music. But yeah your point is valid, and if I did write it out to save myself from changing T.S., I would write it in 3/4.

Main riff complete is 9/8 +12/8.

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"My whole life is a dark room...ONE BIG DARK ROOM" - a.f.i.

Okay....
When you hear that riff Da da da, Da da da, Da da da , Chord..you feel the pulse on each of the Da da da's, which to me would represent each one of the da's as a quarter note. If it was in 9/8 you would only feel the pulse on the 1st Da, which would make it a much slower tempo.

Ex:
|9/8 Da da da Da da da Da da da|12/8 (chord)......||

So in 9/8 all of that would take place within 2 measures

|3/4 Da da da | Da da da | Da da da |Chord (4 measures)

3/4 represents a much faster tempo and a heavier emphasis on each one of the da's.