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For each example below identify whether it is in duple or triple meter. Write down your answers and then check them with the answer key.
| Example 1: | Example 2: |
| Example 3: | Example 4: |
| Example 5: |
Example 1: Duple, with heavy accent on first beat of 4.
Example 2: Duple
Example 3: Triple- but this is a tricky one. It can also be felt as a compound
meter with two major units of 3 beats a piece.
Example 4: No meter- freely performed
Example 5: Duple, with heavy accents on "off" beats: 1 2 3
4. What's interesting about this example, though, is that
there is an underlying subdivision into 3 which you can hear if you listen
closely-- it's very subtle. I suppose that calling this duple is a bit of
a judgment call. But the larger, more prominent beats fall into
a duple division-- and the blues (which this excerpt is) is a genre that
is overwhelmingly written in duple meter.