Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

"Math Rock" (And/Or Songs Containing Numbers or Math Terms)

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
February 15, 2018
802 replies
167864 views

This topic is wide open. Could be actual Math Rock, with complex rhythms or weird time signatures, such as the band American Football with their song Never Meant: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_NfnXdXpjL0

OR you could also include songs containing numbers and/or Math terms in either the title or the lyrics, such as Love Minus Zero / No Limit by Bob Dylan.

Whatever! Oh, and no worries if you post something that someone else has already posted here. That would just be Math Rock Squared! 🤓

V

vitom712041

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

The Eleven ==== Grateful Dead

This song is all about math - and psychedelic, hippie nonsense. And odd musical time signatures. Common time in music is sometimes also called 4/4 - that’s 4 beats in 1 measure. The Eleven is an odd time signature known as 11/12. They drop the last beat. So instead of the beat going 1234, 1234, 1234 it goes like this: 123, 456, 789, 10 11. That drives the beat really fast and the Dead would morph common time into The Eleven and back again over the course of, usually, about 10 minutes. Lots of fun.

millineutronAuthor

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

@vitom712041

Niiiice! I'm pretty sure Mickey Hart was one of the early rock drummers to experiment with polyrhythms etc, and was influenced by the Nigerian percussionist, Babatunde Olatunji, who came to America in the late 50's. Thanks for the great explanation of 11/12 time, although I can't always find the downbeats myself as I'm listening. Tricky stuff! The Eleven: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5McdXcZKbw

Another very polyrhythmically talented drummer is Danny Carey of Tool. For example, on their song Forty Six & 2: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t8CWXPXujXc

nyadrn

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

1-2-3. Len Barry

” 1-2-3, oh, that's how elementary it's gonna be C'mon, let's fall in love, it's easy (it's so easy) Like takin' candy (like takin' candy) from a baby“

Life's a Journey, not a Destination" Aerosmith

nyadrn

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

@millineutronwrote:
This topic is wide open. Could be actual Math Rock, with complex rhythms or weird time signatures, such as the band American Football with their song Never Meant: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_NfnXdXpjL0

OR you could also include songs containing numbers and/or Math terms in either the title or the lyrics, such as Love Minus Zero / No Limit by Bob Dylan.

Whatever! Oh, and no worries if you post something that someone else has already posted here. That would just be Math Rock Squared! 🤓

Sounds good to me!

Life's a Journey, not a Destination" Aerosmith

Loulit

Conversationalist ⭐⭐

Revolution #9

-- The Beatles

Thank you so much, covfefe, and good night! -- Anna Kendrick

Loulit

Conversationalist ⭐⭐

409

-- The Beach Boys

Thank you so much, covfefe, and good night! -- Anna Kendrick

Loulit

Conversationalist ⭐⭐

19th Nervous Breakdown

The Rolling Stones

There are like a million of these. (Pun intended.)

Thank you so much, covfefe, and good night! -- Anna Kendrick

MaVolta

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” - Jimi Hendrix

V

vitom712041

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

Forget the downbeats. I have enough trouble keeping up with the count.

So in the light, how about Take Five by Dave Brubeck?

millineutronAuthor

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

@vitom712041wrote:
Forget the downbeats. I have enough trouble keeping up with the count.

Thanks for that! Makes me feel a little better about being polyrhythmically challenged.

@nyadrn wrote: Sounds good to me!

Yay! I'm honored! ❤

@MaVolta

Good one!

@Loulit wrote: There are like a million of these. (Pun intended.)

Haha 🤓love it! So how about this one:

Million Years Ago -- Adele

MaVolta

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

I suspect much of the music by The Beatles would qualify in the changing beat / odd rhythms category! I think it became something of a signature for their music, but I don't know how to figure it out. These songs change rhythm, and I'm sure there are many others.

I'm Looking Through You

Help

Strawberry Fields Forever (try figuring that one!)

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” - Jimi Hendrix

V

vitom712041

Contributor ⭐⭐⭐

MaV - you’re right about how The Beatles changed time signatures in their music. I had a math teacher in 9th grade and he always said “do the problem, work it out”

The best example of changing time I know of in The Beatles catalog is in We Can Work It Out. It’s 4/4 until the middle 8. You know the part where they sing “fussing and fighting my friend”. Stop there and listen; it goes 123, 123, 123. Then back to 4/4. Then back to 123, 123, 123 for “So I will ask you once again”. Then back to common time.

Whenever I think about math I think about Mr. Kelly.

Cirice

Community Champion ⭐

Good topic! I love math rock

Bubble Dream - CHON

millineutronAuthor

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

@Cirice Wow! So beautiful! Thanks for sharing that! Was not familiar with CHON.

@MaVolta @vitom712041

Yeah the Beatles most definitely! I think Strawberry Fields is mostly 4/4 but then goes to 2/4 in the "nothing to get hung about" part, then 3/4 in the "strawberry fields forever" parts. Been reading up on George Harrison, the sitar & the complex polyrhythms of Indian music. More about that later. I think one of the most rhythmically complex Beatles songs is Happiness is a Warm Gun. Haven't "worked out the problem" on that one yet though. 🤓

@Loulit Couldn't get the link to open on the Christina Aguilera song but will have to search for that one a little later.

MaVolta

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

One - Three Dog Night

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” - Jimi Hendrix

Loulit

Conversationalist ⭐⭐

@MaVoltawrote:
One - Three Dog Night

"The Three Dog Night Story, 1964–1975 states that vocalist Danny Hutton's girlfriend, actress June Fairchild suggested the name after reading a magazine article about indigenous Australians, in which it was explained that on cold nights they would customarily sleep in a hole in the ground while embracing a dingo, a native species of feral dog. On colder nights they would sleep with two dogs and, if the night were freezing, it was a 'three dog night.'"

No offense to indigenous Australians or dingos, but when I first learned of that I laughed loud and long. Still cracks me up to this day.

Thank you so much, covfefe, and good night! -- Anna Kendrick

MaVolta

Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐

@Loulitwrote:
@MaVoltawrote:
One - Three Dog Night
"The Three Dog Night Story, 1964–1975 states that vocalist Danny Hutton's girlfriend, actress June Fairchild suggested the name after reading a magazine article about indigenous Australians, in which it was explained that on cold nights they would customarily sleep in a hole in the ground while embracing a dingo, a native species of feral dog. On colder nights they would sleep with two dogs and, if the night were freezing, it was a 'three dog night.'"

No offense to indigenous Australians or dingos, but when I first learned of that I laughed loud and long. Still cracks me up to this day.

Yes, I remember hearing that, too. It's a great story!

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” - Jimi Hendrix

Loulit

Conversationalist ⭐⭐

But I Am A Good Girl

-- Christina Aguilera

Written by Alain Bernardin, Jaques Morali et B. Vilanch

4/4 to 3/4

Check it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDPR5EoYqO

Thank you so much, covfefe, and good night! -- Anna Kendrick

Show more replies

Sign up

Login with SSO

Login to the community

Login with SSO