Cut Time?

slinkyoz · September 26th, 2003, 07:05 PM

Can someone please explain exactly what "cut time" is? Is is the same as 2/4?

Anonymous · September 26th, 2003, 10:46 PM

Two quarter notes per measure. Instead of counting "one, two, three, four" you count "one, two, one, two" etc. Good for things like polkas, marches, and lots of other stuff that goes "boom chuck boom chuck boom chuck..." ;-) CS

slinkyoz · September 27th, 2003, 02:00 AM

Thanks - I was writing out a chart of Horace Silver's "Psychedelic Sally", a very groovy calypso thing on the rhythm changes. It definitely has a 2 feel, but the chart came out as 16 bars instead of 32...

Primo Don · September 27th, 2003, 02:46 PM

to keep from having to cram all those eighth, sixteenth notes in a measure or if a piece changes tempo mid-song.

Adam

James W · September 29th, 2003, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slinkyoz

Can someone please explain exactly what "cut time" is? Is is the same as 2/4?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris S.

Yup, that's exactly it. Two quarter notes per measure. Instead of counting "one, two, three, four" you count "one, two, one, two" etc.

Not exactly. You got the count right but cut time is not the same as 2/4. 2/4 means 2 beats per measure, where a quarter note takes a beat. Cut time is the same as 2/2 (also written as a cent sign -- a "C" with a vertical line through it) meaning 2 beats per measure, where a HALF note takes a beat. Basically it means that everything is twice as fast as written.

In cut time you count "one, two, one, two" so there are two beats per measure. However, there are still four quarter notes in a measure since a half note takes one beat. So even though there are two beats per measure, quarter notes only take up a half a beat.

It might be helpful to think of cut time as exactly like 4/4 (or common time) except every note length is cut in half. Hence, cut time. So when you're playing cut time, play half notes like quarter notes and quarter notes like eighth notes and you'll be okay.

Here's a website that has a pretty cool description of time signatures including cut time (it's also fun to just follow the links everywhere):

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_signature

I hope this helps.

--James W

September 26th, 2003, 07:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
slinkyoz TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: australia Posts: 43	Cut Time? Can someone please explain exactly what "cut time" is? Is is the same as 2/4? __________________ once a jolly swagman, always a jolly swagman...

September 26th, 2003, 10:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
Anonymous Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 0	Yup, that's exactly it. Two quarter notes per measure. Instead of counting "one, two, three, four" you count "one, two, one, two" etc. Good for things like polkas, marches, and lots of other stuff that goes "boom chuck boom chuck boom chuck..." ;-) CS

September 27th, 2003, 02:00 AM	#3 (permalink)
slinkyoz TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: australia Posts: 43	Thanks - I was writing out a chart of Horace Silver's "Psychedelic Sally", a very groovy calypso thing on the rhythm changes. It definitely has a 2 feel, but the chart came out as 16 bars instead of 32... __________________ once a jolly swagman, always a jolly swagman...

September 27th, 2003, 02:46 PM	#4 (permalink)
Primo Don Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Orlando, FL Age: 31 Posts: 381	They do that... to keep from having to cram all those eighth, sixteenth notes in a measure or if a piece changes tempo mid-song. Adam