Time Signatures Explained, Part 5: Creating Interesting Motion with Meter Changes

If you've followed our Time Signature series, you are probably a pro at using standard time signatures and lots of odd meters. But did you know you can mix-and-match any time signatures within your song?

This final chapter in the series will explore just that. We'll look at why you'd want to create meter changes, how they benefit various areas of your song, and how to implement them in your songwriting and music production.

Need a refresher? Here are the previous parts of our Time Signature series:

Meter changes benefit phrasing

Say you have a line of lyrics that just doesn't seem to fit right in your measure, no matter how fast you try to sing it. Meter changes can help you with that. You could extend the measure by changing the meter in that one bar, turning it from a 4/4 bar into a temporary 6/4 bar. This would give you two extra beats to say the words you need to say in a comfortable way (song blocking can also help with that). Then, in the following measure, you could go back to your previous time signature, back to the comfortable groove.

To create anticipation

Anticipation plays another role in why time signature changes are popular. Imagine you have a song written in 4/4 time, where you've established that each new phrase begins on beat one and lasts four bars. Your audience has come to expect that once you reach beat one in four beats, we'll hear the next phrase. What if suddenly they heard it happen early? This early arrival is exactly what draws people in.

To instill an element of surprise

Another reason to use meter changes is the element of surprise. Imagine having a steady beat that suddenly gets broken and a new one is introduced instead? This change is one you would definitely feel, and your audience would be intrigued by it, which would pull them closer into your song.

To create total chaos

Finally, frequent and radical meter changes can create a lack of stability, or go as far as creating total rhythmic chaos, which may be exactly what your song needs. If you're Stravinsky, then this is a technique you use to create highly sophisticated rhythms.

Whether you're just getting started on your songwriting journey and looking to spice things up, or you're a time signature pro who's already proficient in writing songs in odd meters, subtle time signature changes can help you a lot. Let's take a look at how they are notated, so you can jump right into using them in your own songwriting!

How do you create a meter change?

A meter change happens when you change and establish a new time signature. Meter changes are notated just like regular time signatures, however, unlike the first time signature established at the beginning of a piece, meter changes can happen anywhere later in the song.

Just like with time signatures that you place at the beginning of a song, meter changes also have a few ground rules that you have to understand and follow:

Meter Changes have to be placed at the beginning of a measure
The new time signature overrides the previous one and stays in effect indefinitely until a new time signature is introduced

Now take a look at the notation example above. You can see that at the beginning of the piece I established a time signature of 4/4. However, in measure three, I create a meter change, altering the time signature to 3/4. As specified by rule number two above, this 3/4 would apply to measure 3, 4, 5, and every measure for the remainder of the song. Since I only want the 3/4 measure to take effect on one bar, in measure four I need to create another meter change that shifts us back into 4/4. Count the beat numbers in each bar (written out underneath) to see how the meter change affects how many beats each measure has and how that rhythm flows.

Now that you're empowered with the tools to create meter changes in your own songs, let's take a look at a few examples of the different places where you can apply meter changes.

Meter change at the end of sections

This is one of the more popular uses for meter changes. Check out Kacey Musgraves' "Biscuits" for a great example of that. The whole song is written in 4/4, however, at the end her verses she adds an extra two beats before going into the chorus. This type of extension (whether it's notated as a 6/4 bar or just an extra 2/2 bar) is a highly effective way to keep your audience hanging for when you're going to drop the chorus.

Alternately, try the opposite. Rather than adding beats, cut the last bar shorter. This will make the chorus or verse arrive sooner than expected. It's a great way to surprise your listeners by musically arriving early.

Meter changes by section

A great example of meter changes by section is Hozier's "Take Me To Church." The verses are written in 6/4, which then is changed to 4/4 in the choruses. You can feel that shift happen and it reels you in. The 4/4 grounds the chorus emotionally, which works perfectly for the song. Then we repeat the journey with another verse in 6/4 and return to the final choruses in 4/4. These changes help the song move forward and allow each section to sound unique and interesting.

Tori Kelly and Ed Sheeran also recorded a beautiful song with varying time signatures called "I Was Made For Loving You." In their case, the verses are in 4/4, whereas the choruses sit in 7/4.

Henry Jamison also released a neat track called "Gloria,” which includes some beautiful meter changes as you travel from section to section. The verse is written in 3/4, and the last measure of the verse introduces 4/4, which then gets carried through in the chorus that follows. It makes the chorus feel like a nice surprise that takes us somewhere new for its duration.

(On a side note, there's another hidden meter change in the choruses. Bonus points to you if you can figure out what it is).