Songcrafters.org

It's time to vote for our next two festivals. We've decided to go with quarterly festivals from now on so that everyone will have more time to complete their songs. So the next festivals will run from July 1st to September 30th, 2022. Voting starts now and runs for 6 days. You can change your vote any time until the closing of the poll on Thursday, June 30th (UTC). To do so, click "Remove vote" to cancel your previous vote, then vote again.

This poll is for the "Originals" festival. There is a separate poll for the "Covers" festival. Please vote in both polls.

Remember, "Covers" is covers only, and "Originals" is originals preferred but covers welcome unless otherwise stated in the festival's description.

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• 3/4 Originals - Write an original song in 3/4 time. No covers allowed.
• Good Fortune Fest - Songs about luck, good fortune, etc.
• Troubadour Fest - Write an original song on the theme of courtly love (https://www.worldhistory.org/Courtly_Love/), or cover a medieval troubadour song.
• Holiday Songs - Write an original about a holiday destination or time.

Voting closed. The winner is...

3/4 Originals

Write an original song in 3/4 time. No covers allowed.

3/4 vs 6/8 vs 12/8...?

Not sure if this question has already been discussed around here before, or not?
I don't read music, but I can count and I play 'by ear'.  And it seems to me that the difference between 3/4, 6/8, and 12/8 only matters if you are looking at written music. (?)
However,'Musically literate' people seem to insist it matters... 

The first time I ever saw a 12/8 signature was in a Beatles songbook for 'You've got to hide your Love Away' but I have no trouble counting through that song at 3/4, 6/8 or 12/8 (using different Beats Per Minute)  And then... that song can be also counted in 4/4 and it seems to me that's what Ringo was doing because he is hitting the tamborine on the 2 and 4 backbeat.

This guy seems to have a pretty good explanation (but still, I don't totally get it...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j6CfSUvJmE

So anyway for the moment, just wondering if anything in 3/4, 6/8 or 12/8 will be okay for this Fest as long as it can possibly be counted out in 3/4 time?



 

Quote from: hooper on July 03, 2022, 07:03:13 AM3/4 vs 6/8 vs 12/8...?

Not sure if this question has already been discussed around here before, or not?
I don't read music, but I can count and I play 'by ear'.  And it seems to me that the difference between 3/4, 6/8, and 12/8 only matters if you are looking at written music. (?)
However,'Musically literate' people seem to insist it matters... 

The first time I ever saw a 12/8 signature was in a Beatles songbook for 'You've got to hide your Love Away' but I have no trouble counting through that song at 3/4, 6/8 or 12/8 (using different Beats Per Minute)  And then... that song can be also counted in 4/4 and it seems to me that's what Ringo was doing because he is hitting the tamborine on the 2 and 4 backbeat.

This guy seems to have a pretty good explanation (but still, I don't totally get it...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j6CfSUvJmE

So anyway for the moment, just wondering if anything in 3/4, 6/8 or 12/8 will be okay for this Fest as long as it can possibly be counted out in 3/4 time?



 

Yeah I thought I would investigate after reading your post Hooper. It is a bit of a head wrecker isn't it? It appears it is a kind of a feel thing. Feels to me like 3/4 is a more rigid feel whereas 6/8 seems to "swing" a little more.

I watched this... it kinda made sense, but messed with my head a bit and I have a bit of a hangover too  ;D


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4q2kBe82-o

So much confusion here... Let me translate this so everybody understands :)

Quote from: 64Guitars on June 30, 2022, 05:08:54 PMWrite an original song in 3/4 time.

= means that you should write a song in 3/4 of the time it usually takes for you to write a song.

:D

Quote from: hooper on July 03, 2022, 07:03:13 AMSo anyway for the moment, just wondering if anything in 3/4, 6/8 or 12/8 will be okay for this Fest as long as it can possibly be counted out in 3/4 time?

Anything that can be counted in groups of three beats, but not in groups of four beats. So 12/8 could be a problem since, although it can be counted in 4 groups of 3 beats, it could also be counted in 3 groups of 4 beats. So it will depend on the song. If it's 12/8 and has a strong feeling of "3" then it will be accepted. But if it feels just as likely to be in groups of 4 beats, then it wouldn't be eligible.

6/8 would be fine since it can easily be counted in groups of 3 beats but it's nearly impossible to count it in groups of 4 beats.