What is “Odd Meter”?
In music notation, a piece of music is broken up into small units of fixed length called ‘measures.’ Unless otherwise indicated, every measure is the same duration. The meter of a piece of music describes the number of beats contained in each measure. A majority of popular music is written with 4 beats per measure. Occasionally, writers employ unusual, or odd numbers of beats per measure to create a more unpredictable, off-beat rhythmic feel. For example, the bass riff of Pink Floyd’s “Money” is written with 7 beats per measure. Other examples of odd meters include Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill” (7), Dave Brubeck’s “Take 5” (5), Radiohead’s “Morning Bell (Kid A Version)” (5), Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These” (7), and COB’s “Eleven Willows” (11).
In music notation, a piece of music is broken up into small units of fixed length called measures. Unless otherwise indicated, every measure is the same duration. The meter of a piece of music describes the number of beats contained in each measure. A majority of popular music is written with 4 beats per measure. Occasionally, writers employ unusual, or odd numbers of beats per measure to create a more unpredictable, off-beat rhythmic feel. For example, the bass riff of Pink Floyds Money is written with 7 beats per measure. Other examples of odd meters include Peter Gabriels Solsbury Hill (7), Dave Brubecks Take 5 (5), Radioheads Morning Bell (Kid A Version) (5), Foo Fighters Times Like These (7), and COBs Eleven Willows (11).
