Meter Signature vs. Tempo
METER SIGNATURE DOESN’T INDICATE TEMPO
There is frequently a confusion regarding the relationship between the meter signature and tempo. The meter signature doesn't necessarily indicate tempo or how fast a song should go.
NOTATION vs. SOUND
First lets understand the concept that music is sound and notation is simply a way of communicating music from one person to another. Jazz folks call the notation, a "chart" - a description of some aspects of the actual sound (music). Music starts in the head of the composer and then he writes it down for other people. There are all levels of ability in notating the sound and some are not very accurate in putting down on paper what they intend as to the sound. This is especially true in popular songs. church hymns and gospel songs.
METER CONTRASTED TO TEMPO
Up above we said, The meter signature doesn't necessarily indicate tempo. Let’s take as an example, a march written in 6/8 meter - quite a common thing. In a 6/8 march there are 2 beats per measure. It’s obvious that we march to the dotted quarter even though the bottom numbers of of the meter signature is 8 which supposedly stands for an eighth note beat. But even though this bottom figure of the meter signature is 8, the beat is really a dotted quarter.
Now notice that a fast 6/8 march is quite different from say "Silent Night" also usually written in 6/8 as it is in our barbershop "Yuletide Favorites". Obviously this is not intended as a march. So tempo and meter are two different things.
MEASURE ACCENT
Meter has to do with accents, as the first beat of a measure is to some degree always stronger than the other beats. Meter accents and beats are a somewhat nebulous concept. Back to our marching 6/8. The beat that we march to, is the dotted quarter and the subdivision is in triplets (notated as eighth's). In fact all compound time meters, (6/8. 9/8, and 12/8) are usually performed with the dotted quarter as the primary beat. We most properly use compound time when we want a triplet subdivision to the beat but not all composers and arrangers (particularly amateur composers and arrangers) are a-tune to the concept of compound time.
You see, most commonly we only divide a beat into the lowest numbers possible, that is: 2's, 3's. and 4's. So we commonly have common time with the quarter notated as the beat, the eighth's as the division of 2's and sixteenth's as the division of 4's. Which leaves the division of 3's for compound time. But amateurs sometimes get a bit confused with compound time. Sometimes they want the triplet sound and even write it in 3/4 with the measure being the primary beat. We see this in "My Wild Irish Rose" which is really intended to be sung in a waltz tempo with the measure as the principle beat and the quarter notes as the triplet subdivision of the primary beat. So again, tempo and meter are two different things. We never know how accurate the meter signature really is and we only guess as to the intended speed of the beat (unless we also have a Metronome marking to tell us).
BEAT DETERMINES FLOW
Let me pick up on a statement I made earlier in the previous paragraph that probably was confusing: "Meter accents and beats are somewhat nebulous concepts."
One could argue that most music has more that one beat going on at the same time. There is the basic beat and the beat sub-division which could be called a sub-beat. The sub-division is commonly either 2 (half beats) 4’s or 3rds (triplets). And these are not always notated the same way. There is usually a fast beat and and a slower beat. Take "Jingle Bells" notated in the barbershop book “Yuletide Favorites” in 2/4 and start at the beginning of the verse: "Dashing thru the snow". What is the beat here? It's either the quarter note or the full measure. If it's the quarter note then it has to be a fast beat. But if we think the full measure as the beat, then that beat is slower.
What difference does it make? Well, only a subtle one, but I think we do get more flow in the sound if we think of the full measure as the beat. With the quarter as the beat, it can tend to get a bit ploddy because there are too many accented notes. That tends to slow us down. We get more lilt and thus a happier sound to the song, if we think of the full measure as the beat. In directing a chorus, the director may have to start by directing the quarter note as the beat and then maybe change later to the full measure as the beat to get more lilt in the song. So what actually gets the primary beat will depends on the style of sound or interpretation the director wants.
As another example, take the barbershop version of "Winter Wonderland" which is written in cut time but certainly will need 4 beats per measure of direction to get the men started unless they are very well trained as to what tempo they are to sing. Though cut time can be in march tempo, I don't think that "Winter Wonderland" would survive at a fast 2. This is even more obvious in "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas", as a fast cut time march tempos will not work - too many notes between the half notes, if that were the beat. On the other hand, if we use a slow half note beat for "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas", it may give a nice lilt to the song. Again, the director probably may have to start out in 4 and then shift to 2, but then going back to 4 when needed such as in the patter and maybe at other places.
METER ACCENT STRENGTH
Finally, let's look at accent. A march tempo probably needs a strong beat whereas ballads tend to need a subtler beat or maybe even no
feeling of strong beat at all. Do you want a flowing lyrical style or a precise military beat? In 4/4, we think of a strong accent being on the first beat and the secondary accent to be on the third beat. But how strong that first beat should be and how diminished the third beat should be is all a matter of interpretation and depends on what mood you want to convey. Not all first beats should be strongly accented. Perhaps subtlety is required.
CONCLUSION
So what's the conclusion? Look at each piece of music notation and try to figure out what's most appropriate for communicating the song. Try to see behind the notation to the sound that was intended. Or if you disagree with the notation (because of your preferences or
because you feel they are a bit inaccurate), feel free to "not be accurate". The sound is the thing, not the notation.
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