Daily Playlist — Compound Time Signature

While simple time signature (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, etc.) is most popular in music, compound meter is also widely used. In compound meter, subdivisions (which are what the upper number represents in these meters) of the beat are in three equal parts, so that a dotted note (half again longer than a regular note) becomes the beat. The upper numeral of compound time signatures is commonly 3, 6, 9, or 12 (multiples of 3 in each beat, as opposed to multiples of 2). The lower number is most commonly an 8 (an eighth-note or quaver).

The most common compound meters are 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8. Depending on the way the beats are accented and the arrangements, they can create very different atmospheres. The Animals’ rendition of “House of the Rising Sun” highlights the three equal parts of the beat, creating a chaotic swirl around the mid-tempo beat. In contrast, Nina Simone’s “I Put a Spell on You” makes the three equal parts very faint to give room for the lush string arrangements and the vocals to shine. Very popular in 50s soul, the compound meter is also used to recreate the old-school feel, notably in Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain”.

Another common feature in songs with compound meter is the galloping Punk/Pop rock drum beats, as heard in Kanye West’s “Black Skinhead” or Demi Lovato’s “Confident”. But the most clever use of compound meter in contemporary pop music is arguably Britney Spears’ “Womanizer”. Utilizing the similarities between the 12/8 and 4/4 meter, its songwriters and producers accent the beat like that of a song in 4/4, while masking the 12/8 meter further by putting the song at a neck-breaking tempo of 139bpm, which further enhances the tension the compound meter gives.