Time signatures im confused!

Hi i was just reading the notation for the 12 bar blues lesson 2 in the "more 12 bar blues in A" section of fundamentals 2 i still cant get my head round the time sig it says 4/4 yet i seem to be playing an 8th and a 16th note for each quarter note? also when the small riff with the C ,C sharp and E they are still written as 8th notes which doesn't add up to 4 quarter notes! As this message doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense i'm sure u can tell i'm very confused any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance
Adam

The last 2 beats are triplets. The 3 with the bar above the notes denotes that. Basically, the way to view it is that the three triplets together make up 1 quarter note, so each is basically a 12th, rather than an 8th. Whereas 8th notes are counted 1-and, triplets are counted 1-and-uh (make sure you acknowledge the triplet feel with your foot when you're tapping).

Make sure you're playing each triplet evenly, so it's three 12th notes, not one 8th and two 16ths.

Tuplets are used to fit an odd number of evenly-paced notes into an even rhythm where they won't fit, and are referred to as irrational time. Wikipedia explains it pretty well, but feel free to ask for a deeper explanation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuplet

thanks that helped a lot

First, a big thanks to Rykoshet for a great answer. :)

Originally Posted by: adam_henthorne... in the "more 12 bar blues in A" section of fundamentals 2 i still cant get my head round the time sig it says 4/4 yet i seem to be playing an 8th and a 16th note for each quarter note?

This is "swing time rhythm". Essentially you are slightly delaying the second 8th note of every beat a little bit. How much? Precisely by the amount of an 8th note triplet; thereby forming a tuplet!

Start with even or "straight" 8ths:

1 and - 2 and - 3 and - 4 and -

Insert another 8th note to make 8th note triplets. This results in 3 notes in the space of one beat, instead of just 2 notes:

1 and uh - 2 and uh - 3 and uh - 4 and uh -

Finally, keep the rhythm spacing, but don't play the middle 8th note triplet. This results in the wobbly, slightly off kilter "flat-tire" sound of "swing time". Every "and" is silent:

1 (and) uh - 2 (and) uh - 3 (and) uh - 4 (and) uh -

I did a complete tutorial specifically on this concept here:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=542

thanks Criss and rykoshet i love that everyone is so willing to help i was originally dubious about taking online lessons as you cant ask the tutor about things that confuse the specific student now i realize that my worries were extremely misplaced due to this forum.

Adam

Originally Posted by: adam_henthornethanks Criss and rykoshet

Rykoshet really did a great job on that one, huh? :)

You are quite welcome for the help. You are exactly right, that is precisely what the forum is for.

Originally Posted by: CSchlegelRykoshet really did a great job on that one, huh? :)

You are quite welcome for the help. You are exactly right, that is precisely what the forum is for.

Wow, praise from Caesar.

I think a lot of people would still suggest at least 30 or so minutes of private lessons a week if you can afford it. There's a lot of basic things you may have missed out on, and even if you can play well already it will help to solidify everything before you go on stage.

That said, I've found the primer courses to be amazing. Haven't checked out Country yet, but Rock and Blues are very thorough, and once you've completed all three in each category you'll have learned not only a heck of a lot of theory but also hundreds of hours of practice to solidify your playing.

Remember to practice with a metronome as much as you can and keep count as many ways as you can (tapping your feet, rocking your body, and counting properly). This will make sure you're always aware of the beat.

I never kept time properly or read music before I began taking lessons but my teacher forced it into me. I thought it was a wasted month of lessons, but now not only can I transfer my skills to other instruments (reading music helps a lot with piano, and everything else) but being able to keep time means I can easily follow along with the band, jump in and out whenever, and in general play with the feel of everyone else without sticking out.

Good luck.

cheers man i used to get private lessons when i was at school the main reason i joined guitar tricks was due to my lacking funds! Hopefully in the future i will be able to afford some.

luckily i dont really have a big problem with timing im not trying to suggest that im well accomplished or anything its just that i have a good friend who is a fantastic keyboard player it has what has kept me playing all this time that i haven't been "learning" being able to jam with him looking back now i suppose i was learning as i have fairly solid timing now.

i have just finished fundimentals 2 and its funny how the last chapter reminded me how much i used to hate barre chords! Bring on the blues baby!