Check out What You Need to Know Before you Learn Music Theory by Eric Fine: www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYRNBTKN 📖🎼🎶

I can't believe that Tango was not mentioned. Tango is so much 2/4 that it is often called "the two by four", not in music theory environments, but in cultural environments like the radio, TV shows and magazines.

I feel like ive discovered a secret lol

Good video as usual but I was surprised not to hear you mention marches. "A march" is another way of describing 2/4 time and is very often used for military music as it fits the "left, right, left, right" of marching and will usually have a marching tempo. Examples most people (in the UK) will be familiar with include Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance March No, 1" and "The Dam Busters March".

Besides the polka, there's also the TANGO. It's always in 2/4 except maybe in Astor Piazzolla songs. He was like a vanguardist of a tango. Check it out. Beautiful music

The Nirvana version of "the man who sold the world" and "Pretty woman" have a 2/4 bar in their verses. I learned it the hard way

A famous example from video games would be "One-Winged Angel", the soundtrack for the final battle from Final Fantasy VII and theme song of Sephiroth, the game's main antagonist. The first minute of the song could almost be described as THE 2/4 section because it captures the essence of the time signature so perfectly, building the entire melody around the strong-weak dynamic to create an otherworldly sense of intimidation. Whenever you hear those legendary opening notes, you know immediately that shit just got REAL.

I've had this conversation in bands quite a bit. My first drum teacher emphasized learning time signatures, because the vibe of the drums is dependent on your phrasing, and your phrasing will be dictated by the time signature, at least, on originals. So when I would be discussing aspects of the song, and refer to "the & of 2", sometimes I'd forget that the time signature in my head may not be the one in theirs. So we'd have to establish what we considered the time signature to be, then move forward.

Another excellent video on a very worthwhile topic. I know of a few tunes that use 2/4: -The verse of Heat of The Moment by Asia (you can find a video of Geoff Downes talking about this) -The intro to Oh! You Pretty Things by David Bowie -The intro to Firth of Fifth by Genesis has 2/4 interspersed with others -A Fistful of Dollars by Ennio Morricone (whole) -Farewell to Stromness by Peter Maxwell Davies (whole) And as you said earlier in your video there any many songs that use 2/4 at the end of a phrase or verse in an otherwise 4/4 song. My favourite example of this is the Eagles song The Last Resort. Also Have a Cigar by Pink Floyd.

I liked how you also isolated the drum part of Hey ya. It would be good if in your examples you also try to play more drum parts to show another dimension of a song’s time signature. The isolation of song parts makes that easier to discern. Thanks as always. Love your episodes!

For me harmony also matters. If the chords change every 2 beats, it's much easier to hear it as 2/4.

I got a mandolin recently and have learned a few songs. The mandolin has a potential drone aspect to it, and Jimmy Paige never played a mandolin before and just sat down and wrote Battle of Evermore in 20 minutes. Completely capitalizing on this effect like I have heard in no other songs on Mandolin or any other instrument. Love to see a breakdown.

You really have a nice channel with diverse topics, explained simply so that even non-musicians can understand them. Even though I've only been playing the piano for a year and a half, I've watched your videos for much longer. I don't know if you've talked about Rule of the Octave or Basso Continuo, or Thoroughbass. I seem to remember you have talked about it, but I recently have started learning it. I'll go back on your catalogue since it seems logical that you would have touched on how modern music has been influenced on ancient music.

You are such an amazing teacher and musician. Thank you.

Love this channel, thank you!

Excellent video, thank you ,David.

David I love your videos. My favorite source of learning music theory. Thank you.

What a pleasure to see an example from Blur's song

Just saying, idk if you knew about this, my college (MTU Cork School of Music) uses your videos for lectures in the pop degree. Your stuff is really useful for understanding stuff, and I guess lecturers see that. Thank you so much for this channel 🙏🙏

The Mozart/Paul Simon/Outkast examples overlook an important consideration. Between Mozart and Paul Simon, you’re right to flag up how the requirement to state an explicit time signature falls away. However, I’m willing to bet that “Hey Ya” was recorded in a DAW, where the explicit time signature is very much in evidence again. It would be interesting to see how that 22-beat cycle is handled in the original project. I myself have a number of compositions that use such extended beat cycles. For example, a tune called “Headcorn” is based on a 13-beat cycle, and is treated as such in Logic, although it would also be fair to describe it as (3+3+3+4)/4 rather than 13/4.

Your videos are amazing, I love them!

Thank you David

Maybe Lady in Black by Uriah Heep could be best described as 2/4 (or even 2/2?) Made in 1970 with a drum loop which has a strong downbeat. Only 2 chords and a chorus with only one vowel. Pure genius!

The main (intro) riff of Charlie Brown by Coldplay is another interesting example of alternating between 4/4 and 2/4

Nice video! 😊👍🏻 «La sirena varada» de Héroes del Silencio también usa un 2/4 mezclado con compases a 4/4 en los versos.

Seeing you wear first of October shirt makes me so happy

I always see the 2/4 half-bar when the passage ends. Nice to see

Great video as always David. Not sure if it's 2/4 or 2/2 but a few Jonny Cash songs definitely have a two feel and meter.

I really love your videos, taught me a lot about time signatures. I think it would be interesting if you could find and talk about music written in IRRATIONAL time signatures. Like 7/20 and 4/20. And explain how 4/6 works, lol.

Love the First of October T-shirt!!!

In my senior recital at college I did an original song in 2/4. The drummer asked why it wasn't in 4/4. I said simply that there are some bars that get off that way. Looking back, I would say it is in mixed meter. 4/4 for a few measures then 2/4 for a few measures before going back to 4/4. I have gone back and forth on where those meter breaks hit specifically, but I would say there are entire sections in 2 and others in 4.

Great video thanks

I just noticed this time signature in «På ditt skift» by Kaizers Orchestra (Norwegian band). Being a viewer of this channel for some time now, this was cool to realize, cos it switches from 2/4 in the verse and chorus to 6/8 in the bridge (two signatures I used to think of as redundant).

David Bennett not mention Beatles in any way challenge (Impossible!)

Loving the First of October shirt!

That's very true and it's something beautiful in music : you can write things differently to say the same things cause even if it IS the same thing it won't have the same feeling depending on HOW you wrote it And that is wonderful

Revolution was the first song that came to mind for me but I never realized that Assassin was 2/4, that was one of the first Muse songs I heard when I was younger so I couldn't tell it was in a different time signature but now I'll be sure to listen out for it next time I check out the song. Also, two others song that uses 2/4 are Bron-Y-Aur Stomp by Led Zeppelin (alongside a bunch of other time signatures like 6/8, 3/4 and 7/8) and Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Cool About It by Boygenius has some 2/4 bars sprinkled in the verses! I was just learning to play it on guitar today and saw that in the tab to my surprise. It definitely has the strong half-bar feeling now that I think of it.

Love the outro piano music. Reminds me of Mike Lineup/Phil Gould of level 42. Beautiful

Thank you.

Thanks a bunch

To me it seems a very usable way of making songs,although for sure also a pretty rare one as well.

Yes! ☺️👍💓My music teachers used to get so mad at me for bringing this point up! 😁

In Texas, we have the “Waylon beat” which is in 2/4 that covers a whole genre of song and is a staple of Outlaw Country catalogs.

You are a music theory genius!

Hey David, I really love your videos. I've played music most of my life but disregarded theory until I was a good 10-15 years into my journey. Your vids have helped clarify a lot of confusion I've had as well as confirmed some suspicions. If I may make a suggestion/ask a question? Why don't you use the pop up cards when referencing your other videos? Or is my system just glitchy and not loading them for your channel today? I'm in the habit of opening those pop outs in other tabs while I finish the current vid and it would be very convenient, for me at least, if the other videos being referenced were in the pop out or the little Circle I where the pop outs resides in the upper right hand corner. Please keep your videos coming. Starting out as a guitar guy, I don't play my keyboards nearly as much as I should, but you've been a big help in my progress when I do actually sit town to molest the plastics. I'm not tickling the ivories. LOL. I've no space for a real piano. I've actually been offered a few for free over the years and had to regretfully decline. I watched an old baby grand be turned into firewood because I couldn't give it a home. That still burns me up to this day. (LOL no pun intended.)

Great video! Very helpful for me. Using the polka vibe test, the Beatles’ Revolution actually feels 2/4 to me. I hear it as Strong weak - Strong weak.

It's interesting that you didn't phrase the Africa 2/4 bar with the final phrase of the vocals at 1:26, and then the instrumental break/riff that's heard in the intro is back in 4/4 which flows back into the next verse phrase in 4/4. That's personally always how I've heard it, but I realize it's subjective and I never thought of it your way 😊

I really liked the end of this about distribution via sheet music vs recordings. Now to find some tangos and count them...

Can’t wait for the "Songs that use 1/4 time" video!

Fascinating video. What I learnt from this is that music theory is like physics. The closer you look the more you realise there's actually nothing there.

As an interesting counter-example - "Everything at once" by Lenka has this 2/4 feel at the beginning with the bass/chord pulse but if you listen carefully, especially when it gets to the chorus it turns out that it all resolves to pretty perfect 4/4 measures.

There's a Queen song from 1982, on the Hot Space album, called Action This Day - I've seen it transcribed as being in 4/4, but I think it has a 2/4 feel to it.

This is such an interesting topic, because it covers something seldom discussed elsewhere which is the intention of the writer. Do you think if Mozart had written alla Turca in 4/4, performances would sound somewhat different? Also, I think the main problem for separating the songs in 2/4 and 4/4 is the fact that most verses and choruses are built with a number of beats which is a power of 2, so both meters will always be good.

I found it very interesting that the original/contemporaneous manuscript of the Turkish March has a different rhythm notated than the straight 16th notes that we are familiar with today. Perhaps you could do a video about the history of this classic piece. Was it originally meant to be played at a slower pace? At what tempo would the average listener be able to distinguish between the two rhythms?

David, presumably modern composers still document their creations using traditional music notation, and performers/bands/session musicians oftenread prescriptive sheet music while leaning the song. What generally happens to that private (unpublished) original sheet music (possibly hand written by the composer)? Is the original notes/sheet music for hundreds of famous pop songs in the hands of private collectors? Does it end up in academic archives? Do the families of the band members just keep it forever? Is it usually misplaced by the composer/band once they have recorded the song? Thanks for your interesting and educational productions.

For 4/4 songs that have bars of 2/4, I immediately thought of Billy Joel’s Piano Man. When used, the 2/4 bar at the end of one phrase is used to extend the anticipation for the next phrase.

Cornflake Girl has a superb example. Hey Ya is my absolute favourite one though.

For me, as a Czech, the first thing coming to my mind is the genre of wind-instrument-bands (Dechovka in Czech). Dechovka uses the 2/4 timing a lot, probably half of the pieces are in 2/4 and half in 3/4.

This is a really fascinating video. I just wonder if there is some 2/2 element of REM's Losing My Religion as I always make a complete mess of the line "Like a hurt, lost and blinded fool, fool" at karaoke :)

“Aquatarkus” (the last movement of “Tarkus”) by ELP and the ending of “Fugazi” by Marillion are both in 2/4 to get that driving march feel.

It's funny that the first example of 4/4 with a bar of 2/4 that you cite is Africa, because I hear that in reverse, 7 bars of 2/4 with the final bar of the phrase extended to 4/4. As it is the same as the first 4 beats of the intro theme. Maybe it's just me though, I hear that intro as alternating bars of 3/4 and 5/4, but I'm sure most people would just call it 4/4, and the drum groove is definitely 4/4 in the intro. Love your stuff.

Never thought about the time signature of Mozart's Turkish march before. Now all I can hear in my head is a Ska version of that piece!

Idea for a video: repeating chord progressions that have more than four chords. I can't think of any; maybe you can, or least find some.

Two good examples of using a measure of 2/4 to break up straight 4 sections are Joan Jett's 'I love Rock & Roll' and Toadies song 'Possum Kingdom' I Love Rock & Roll alternates the end of the chorus line being in 4 and 2... its more obvious at the end of the song where they repeat the chorus a few times with the 2/4 ending which jump starts the next chorus. In the Toadies song one could argue the end of the loop 4/4 alternates in ending in one bar of 2/4 and two bars of 2/4 (instead of one bar of 4/4) as they make the 2/4 feel natural, then double it up in a sort of uncomfortable stutter on every other pass.

@DavidBennettPiano It seems that 'Found a job' by Talking Heads has some extra bars of 2/4 in the verses. But Tina Weymouth's bass part seems to be in 6/4 there, so maybe it's not that clear-cut.

Loved the piece of music you played at the end, assume it was one of your own compositions?

David, I would be interested to know your thoughts re a time sig for Albatross by Fleetwood Mac. I have had many and varied discussions on this and need an arbiter. Thanks.

If you haven't already, can you do a video on the chord progression that is in "slow dancing in the dark" by Joji. I think it's the same progression as "La Gata Bajo la Lluvia" a beautiful spanish song by Rocio Durcal. I would love to be able to do a mashup of those songs if possible. I think it may even be similar progression to Ahead on our Way from Final Fantasy 7.

Since you bring up the “one 2/4 bar in a 4/4 song” song style in pop songs, I should mention that “I want to know what love is” by Foreigner also does this in its verses.

In Ballroom Dancing, the Samba is danced to music with 2/4 timing. Now often it might come down to what you said that it depends on how the music is interpreted (for dancing the clear alternation of a strong beat and a weak beat) rather than in what beat it is really written. Many of Sia's songs give that impression, like Cheap Thrills and The Greatest; All Would Envy by Sting, It's Not Unusual by Tom Jones are other examples. The song "Brazil" is the classical Samba song for competitions.

A lot of early '80s kitchy dance music is in 2/4. One example is _Upstairs_ by Sparks. There are plenty more.

Tipazo David❤

Is Jolene an example of this time signature as a commenter here suggested or of 2/2? It appeared in that episode along with Country Roads.

Not sure if mentioned but I wonder if, when 2/4 is used, it is because the meter of the lyric dictates it? It seems like, in the examples, that the 2/4 bar fits the rythym of he words nicely, and that a bar of 4/4 would actually be awkward.

Another great video/explanation! I will add that it is my humble belief even Mozart and Beethoven my have “struggled” (although B perhaps more the M) to always “find/decide” the “right” time signature to publish their song on. And it’s interesting you picked out the Turkish March… When I first started trying to play that I often thought, why is it in 2/4 because I kept counting up in 4/4. But that said when it come to M, I very much do you get… And it probably was not a matter of convenience, or a matter of form… as B’s Turkish March is also in and marches are classically 2/4. No doubt, however you will hear performances of maple leaf rag, played more in the middle of the 4/4 than 2/4. But this song I think Peter Levine knew how to play in the head, but had a hard time writing down was Fur Elise. Is there a time where I think it sounds better to almost treat it as a it’s actually in 6/8 (within one measure). In the photo referring to is The third section where you keep pounding on the essay over and over again six time… is that best played as 2 sets of 3 or 3 sets of 2. The written meter would say. 3 sets of 2, but the fingering I learned says (3,2,1) suggest play it like 2 sets of 3. And of course, The main arpeggio pattern clearly requires The six notes per measure to be played as 2 sets of 3 not 3 sets of 2. At least for me, sometimes my brain spins when I hear that last part played as 3 sets of 2 … And many duplicate that way… But I think most people plant that way… But when I was being tight, I was told to pick him up at 2 sets 3 … Quite frankly like. No, I must go listen to your 2/2 video because that’s the other one I know what it means but it’s great to hear from you. Hope you understand how do I turn on is it… And that’s what you just did so well in this video!

Those odd 2/4 bars in a 4/4 song can also be described as 6/4 (if you think of them as combined with the preceding 4/4 bar). I believe you alluded to this a bit, but Kathy's Song and Stop the Cavalry could also be notated in 2/2. I'm glad you mentioned that 2/4 and 4/4 and 2/2 can all sound very similar. There are some songs and pieces that would work reasonably well in all 3 meters.

Friday on my Mind? On the Bowie version there's that riff and the verses that have a similar feel.

The dropping in of a 2/4 bar to punctuate is a stock trick for many of many early Ramones songs. 'We're a Happy Family' is a prime example And for a whole song the xmas dirge of Jona Lewie 'Stop The Cavalry

I have heard Josh Homme talk about the polka influence in his music and I can really hear that in songs like "No One Knows", which I think could very well be described in 2/4 time. What do you think?

Love this exploration of 2/4. Top-tier patrons could be dad and grampa?

My first thought is always Country music from the likes of Cash with that distinctive bassline and fast drums. They often use odd numbers of 2/4 bars to adjust to the lyris and unlike He-Ya, this does not break up any rhythmic pattern as all instruments tent to play quite fast, so it's not really a change from 4/4 tp 2/4 but rather 2/4 throughout.

There's an interesting song, meter-wise, called "Griechischer Wein", which contains a bunch of these 2/4 bars within, as well as switching to 3/4 sometimes.

2/4 is a march or polka, just as 3/4 time is a waltz. In western popular music think of 2/4 as an extension or the temporary shortening of a phrase. The examples given Toto, Beatles etc all used the 2/4 bar to extend the lyric phrase. It also gives the song an interesting feel in the places it is used. Unless your John Williams writing a march or a German polka composer 2/4 is just never going to work in MOST (some will) pieces of music that want the usual 4/4 timing feel.

Good point about not knowing something is in 4/4 or 2/4 until you try playing it yourself or see the sheet music. “Jolene” by Dolly Parton is in 2/4 time, I believe.

My song Kitty also uses 2/4, thank you for teaching everyone this cool time signature!

My progressive rock band, The Aaron Clift Experiment, has a song called “L.I.A.R.” that’s in 2/4. I specifically wrote the chord chart with that time signature so that my bandmates would play it with this feel rather than 4/4.

I can't read music, can't play an instrument (yet, though I aspire to play guitar one day), and don't sing, but slowly I am learning more about music theory. 🙂 I am hoping that one day I understand enough to take Rick Beato's introductory courses! 😂😆😃😁😀

Can you make a video about songs that uses extremly odd scales (Scales ao rare that would be imposible to make a video about each one)?

For someone who loves seems to really appreciate progressive British music, do you know the works of Steven Wilson? Massively underrated and talented man, be right up your alley I think

Hippy drum circles are in 1/1. There might be a shaker, or a hand clap, or a doumbek-or various kinds of repeating fills between bass beats. And the fills might give an illusion of waltz, or 2/2. But that effect fades in and out, and there's never any bar established. Just one, one, one, one, one...

I would say that 2/4 is the default 2 in a bar meter. I would use a 2/2 time if i’m writing lots of 16th notes in 2/4. I could write it as 8th notes in 2/2 instead.

David Bennett as a First Of October fan isn't something I expected, but here we are.

Tango is also in 2/4. So much so that there's a radio station in Buenos Aires called Radio 2/4

Everybody by Solomon Burke is an interesting one. The emphasis could be argued as 2/4

6:30 I always find it interesting how different instruments can do different things, but cant be the only one responsible for that because you can make a song with one instrument piano and it has to have all these things. Very confusing but interesting.

Tango, from Argentina, is 2/4.

What about the outro to (or maybe the entirety of) "Baggy Trousers" by Madness?

Rain Dogs by Tom Waits is in 2/4

I’ve actually covered hey ya and I had no idea about the mixed meter. Neither I nor my drummer picked up on that