The B12 (XII) Forum, home of the 'Front Porch, y'all' at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Yeah. The problem here is that the guitarist starts the song. He's playing what sounds like a very solid 4/4 rock beat. It's very tempting for the drum and bass to simply follow along and join him on the one. Billy playing on the swung "and" of 4 gives it a hip-shaking groove and keeps it from being another tapioca rock ballad.

In case it's not obvious, I really dig this song!

No I can tell it's upbeats from the very beginning just by the way he hits it.  I'm telling you, I'm a master of syncopation.  Play French Horn for a decade or so, and you will be, too!

This one ain't unremarkable:



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

I agree
I can dance better than she can

Nothing about 5/4 is fun.  7/4 / 7/8 is fun because I can feel it, don't have to think about it too much, and can improvise with it without problems.  5/4 is from the pits of hell, it doesn't feel good, I have to consciously count the whole time, and I'm convinced people do it just to be assholes. 

Looking at you, Sting.  

I don't mind 5.  My gut automatically separates into 3 and 2 in most cases.

I got to be the bank manager in our production of "Once". The song "When Your Mind's Made Up" is 5/4 and occurs in various forms throughout the play, but the craziest one is near the end. The lead starts with guitar and vocal. Eventually I'm joining in across stage. I pick up my cello like a guitar and start joining in pizzicato, and make my way across the stage. Fortunately, there weren't others onstage by then, because a cello endpin is a heckuva thing to get in the face!

Having to memorize note-for-note the musical and play guitar, cello, bass, and cajon throughout the show was a workout, but something I'll remember forever!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3jvRjfOV6k&list=PLNXSK9RU25sjNlXzw619bVBKswl2n3o80&index=12

and I'm still adamant that the Scorpions throw in a 6/4 measure at the end of the pre-chorus of "Rock You Like a Hurricane".

Don't have to be adamant, it simply is true.  Although I suspect most would notate it by throwing in a measure of 2/4 amongst the 4/4 bars instead of having a bar of 6/4.  If you notice, the Toto song did that too, which makes the band coming in when they do that much more disorienting even when you know it starts on the 1.  Once everything is in it's easy to hear the pattern....I believe it's three measures of 4/4 and then one measure of 2/4, but it kinda glides by without calling attention to itself because the kick and the snare never break stride.  The Scorpions song dresses it up and calls a bit more attention to it by having the drummer break from the regular groove and do something different there.  But all the parts work so well around it, it's not glaring, which to me, is the best use of dipping into your bag of tricks.  If it's glaringly obvious, it probably hurts the feel of the song and you've wandered off into prog-rock.  

One of the trickiest guitar riffs "to get my ears around" is the Chili Peppers' Around the World.  I used to play that one at the local dives back in college.  iirc, the riff's rhythm itself is pretty standard and would work well with 4/4 without ado, except that he displaces it by and 8th note or so, so the whole thing is kinda off with everything else.....yet it works well.  And that one even gives you a ton of getting used to the count with the whole band before he starts it, and it still makes the internal clock dizzy.  I guess since it's on my mind right now.....



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9eNQZbjpJk

speaking of Rush........

how many bass players sing lead?