The Beatles Used Weird Time Signatures

Here Comes The Sun, written by George Harrison for The Beatles for the Abbey Road album has an unusual time signature in the chorus.

Unlock Your Jazz Potential Today! 🎷 🎹
========================================

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All recordings and performances in this video are produced by me.

00:00 - Start
00:54 - How Time Signatures Work
01:51 - Verse & Chorus
02:47 - Other Time Signatures
03:36 - 8th Note Pulse
04:14 - Odd Meter Time Signatures
05:23 - Chorus Time Signature
06:33 - Playing Through The Changes

[burninggundam]

We Can Work It Out is another where the time signatures change. Brilliant writing.

[garydlloyd]

The measure in question I would notate as 3+3+3+2/8. The Bartok 6th Bulgarian Dance I posted in the last couple weeks is marked 3+3+2/8. America from West Side Story is written with 6/8 alternating with 3/4 but could be written with 2+2+2/8 and then 3+3/8. Then Mission Impossible is 3+3+2+2/8.

The Beatles fascinate me because they really had very little formal training and so were not boxed in by preconceptions. I've always loved Here Comes the Sun!

Nice video!

[trep]

I enjoy your explanation of the music since I can read music (basically). The artists in all of your videos are excellent as are the pieces you choose. Alas, I am just a humble failed musician that enjoys playing music that I do not understand. So keep providing these technical explanations and I’ll watch them and maybe some day it will start to click inside my brain.

[martynramsden]

Fantastic video Josh - so well explained. Interesting having seen this notated over the years and the different versions, are so different from each other. I like your explanation and notation more 😁🎹👍

[aptudo]

Neat. I can't think of another popular song with such an irregular beat in the chorus (of all places!). And people SING ALONG during all that wonderful madness. George Harrison makes it feel remarkably natural. It ain't no math rock! ;-)

[karinetex]

It’s actually not that complicated. It’s all 4/4 except the “sun, sun..” which are measures of 5/4. The first “sun” is on the “and” of 4 (anticipated).