Triple metre

Triple metre (or Am. triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a primary division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 (compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with ³
₄, ³
₈ and ⁹
₈ being the most common examples. In these signatures, beats form groups of three, establishing a triple meter feel in the music or song. The upper figure being divisible by three does not of itself indicate triple metre; for example, a time signature of ⁶
₈ usually indicates compound duple metre, and similarly ¹²
₈ usually indicates compound quadruple metre.

Shown below are a simple and a compound triple drum pattern.

$\new Staff << \new voice \relative c' { \clef percussion \numericTimeSignature \time 3/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 100 \stemDown \repeat volta 2 { g4 d' d } } \new voice \relative c'' { \override NoteHead.style = #'cross \stemUp \repeat volta 2 { a8[ a] a[ a] a[ a] } } >>$

$\new Staff << \new voice \relative c' { \clef percussion \numericTimeSignature \time 9/8 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4. = 80 \stemDown \repeat volta 2 { g4. d' d } } \new voice \relative c'' { \override NoteHead.style = #'cross \stemUp \repeat volta 2 { a8 a a a a a a a a } } >>$

Stylistic differences

In popular music, the metre is most often quadruple,^[1] but this does not mean that triple metre does not appear. It features in a good amount of music by artists such as The Chipmunks, Louis Armstrong or Bob Dylan.^[2]

In jazz, this and other more adventurous metres have become more common since Dave Brubeck's album Time Out.^[3]^[4]^[5] One noteworthy example of a jazz classic that employs triple metre is John Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things".^[6]

Triple time is common in formal dance styles, for example the sarabande, the minuet, the mazurka, the waltz and others.

Triple metre is rare in national anthems – the national anthems of Austria, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Greece, and the United States being notable exceptions.

Afro

Afro, a Cuban folkloric genre, is typically performed in triple metre using the batá drum.^[7]

3-Step

The term " three-step" to refer to music was initially coined in the mid-2010s by gqom record producers (Sbucardo and Citizen Boy) to describe as well as another name for the South African genre, gqom due to its beat structure associated with triple metre. As the genre gained mainstream popularity and evolved, incorporating a wide range of music production techniques and more styles, other gqom record producers (Emo Kid, DJ Lag, Ben Myster and Menzi) introduced, pioneered and developed a distinct variation of gqom music between the late 2010s and early 2020s known as "3-step" (also referred to as 3 step, three-step, and other variants). The gqom subgenre is characterized by its gqom elements combined with triple metre and broken beat features. Producers frequently blend 3-step with other production styles and musical genres.^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]

Yoruba music

In Yoruba music, triple metre amongst other rhythms, creates a distinctive, flowing quality through a recurring cycle of three beats per measure. The rhythmic structure is commonly found in traditional Yoruba drum music and plays a significant role in shaping dance movements and ceremonial performances. Additionally, triple metre is evident in oríkì chants, where it enriches lyrical expression. Triple metre, in Yoruba music plays a crucial role in cultural and ceremonial contexts.^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21]

Sources

^ Schroedl, Scott (2001). Play Drums Today!, p. 42. Hal Leonard. ISBN 0-634-02185-0.
^ Everett, Walter (2008). "Musical time: rhythm, metre, and tempo". The Foundations of Rock: From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". Oxford University Press. p. 306. ISBN 9780190294977. Despite the great preponderance of quadruple meter, triple time is heard in a good deal of pop music. [...] David Seville [...] The Chipmunks [...] Bob Dylan [...] Louis Armstrong [...] Tom Jones [...]
^ May, Chris. "Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out" Archived 2017-03-15 at the Wayback Machine All About Jazz December 15, 2011 Retrieved March 14, 2017
^ Lamb, Evelyn "Uncommon Time: What Makes Dave Brubeck's Unorthodox Jazz Stylings So Appealing?" Archived 2017-02-11 at the Wayback Machine Scientific American December 11, 2012 Retrieved March 14, 2017
^ Smith, Hedrick; Hackel, Cliff "Brubeck's Trademark Style: Odd Time Signatures, Polyrhythms and Polytonality" Archived 2017-05-19 at the Wayback Machine PBS:Rediscovering Dave Brubeck Released 16 December 2001 Retrieved March 14, 2017
^ Gary Giddins (22 October 1998). Visions of Jazz: The First Century. Oxford University Press. p. 485. ISBN 978-0-19-987953-3.
^ Jackson, Greg (2010-07-22). Congas Full Circle. Inner3. ISBN 978-1-4537-1944-2.
^ Murphy, Ben (2016-01-05). "Gqom: A deeper look at South Africa's new generation of house". Fact Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-05-20. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
^ Weichenrieder, Philipp (2016-04-19). "Gqom-Musik aus Südafrika: Townships calling". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Archived from the original on 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
^ Weichenrieder, Philipp (7 July 2016). "Soundtrack of the Townships: Gqom". Norient. Archived from the original on 2019-03-03. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
^ "Interview: DJ Lag is Firm on Taking Gqom To The Rest of the World - Okayplayer". OkayAfrica. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
^ Sound, Radio Primavera (2019). "Gqom Fridays 1x06 Sgubhu and 3-step". Mixcloud. Archived from the original on 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
^ "PAM Meets Menzi: experiencing wildness at Le Guess Who?". PAM - Pan African Music. 2022-05-17. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
^ Staff Reporter (2018-07-20). "The muted thump of Gqom Nation". The Mail & Guardian. Archived from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
^ "SA: DJ Lag shares Oke Oke single ahead of new album". Music In Africa. 2024-05-14. Archived from the original on 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
^ Kubik, Gerhard (2010-08-27). Theory of African Music, Volume II. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-45695-9.
^ Liverpool, Hollis (2001). Rituals of Power and Rebellion: The Carnival Tradition in Trinidad and Tobago, 1763-1962. Research Associates School Times. ISBN 978-0-948390-80-7.
^ Waterman, Christopher Alan (1990-06-15). Juju: A Social History and Ethnography of an African Popular Music. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-87465-4.
^ Roberts, John Storm (1998). Black Music of Two Worlds: African, Caribbean, Latin, and African-American Traditions. Schirmer Books. ISBN 978-0-02-864929-0.
^ Feldman, Heidi Carolyn (2006). Black Rhythms of Peru: Reviving African Musical Heritage in the Black Pacific. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-6814-4.
^ Chernoff, John Miller (1979). African Rhythm and African Sensibility: Aesthetics and Social Action in African Musical Idioms. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-10344-0.

[Schroedl-1] Schroedl, Scott (2001). Play Drums Today!, p. 42. Hal Leonard. ISBN 0-634-02185-0.

[2] Everett, Walter (2008). "Musical time: rhythm, metre, and tempo". The Foundations of Rock: From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". Oxford University Press. p. 306. ISBN 9780190294977. Despite the great preponderance of quadruple meter, triple time is heard in a good deal of pop music. [...] David Seville [...] The Chipmunks [...] Bob Dylan [...] Louis Armstrong [...] Tom Jones [...]

[3] May, Chris. "Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out" Archived 2017-03-15 at the Wayback Machine All About Jazz December 15, 2011 Retrieved March 14, 2017

[4] Lamb, Evelyn "Uncommon Time: What Makes Dave Brubeck's Unorthodox Jazz Stylings So Appealing?" Archived 2017-02-11 at the Wayback Machine Scientific American December 11, 2012 Retrieved March 14, 2017

[5] Smith, Hedrick; Hackel, Cliff "Brubeck's Trademark Style: Odd Time Signatures, Polyrhythms and Polytonality" Archived 2017-05-19 at the Wayback Machine PBS:Rediscovering Dave Brubeck Released 16 December 2001 Retrieved March 14, 2017

[Giddins1998-6] Gary Giddins (22 October 1998). Visions of Jazz: The First Century. Oxford University Press. p. 485. ISBN 978-0-19-987953-3.

[7] Jackson, Greg (2010-07-22). Congas Full Circle. Inner3. ISBN 978-1-4537-1944-2.

[8] Murphy, Ben (2016-01-05). "Gqom: A deeper look at South Africa's new generation of house". Fact Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-05-20. Retrieved 2024-06-08.

[9] Weichenrieder, Philipp (2016-04-19). "Gqom-Musik aus Südafrika: Townships calling". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Archived from the original on 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2024-06-08.

[10] Weichenrieder, Philipp (7 July 2016). "Soundtrack of the Townships: Gqom". Norient. Archived from the original on 2019-03-03. Retrieved 2024-07-30.

[11] "Interview: DJ Lag is Firm on Taking Gqom To The Rest of the World - Okayplayer". OkayAfrica. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2024-06-08.

[12] Sound, Radio Primavera (2019). "Gqom Fridays 1x06 Sgubhu and 3-step". Mixcloud. Archived from the original on 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-30.

[13] "PAM Meets Menzi: experiencing wildness at Le Guess Who?". PAM - Pan African Music. 2022-05-17. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2024-06-08.

[14] Staff Reporter (2018-07-20). "The muted thump of Gqom Nation". The Mail & Guardian. Archived from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2024-07-30.

[15] "SA: DJ Lag shares Oke Oke single ahead of new album". Music In Africa. 2024-05-14. Archived from the original on 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2024-07-30.

[16] Kubik, Gerhard (2010-08-27). Theory of African Music, Volume II. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-45695-9.

[17] Liverpool, Hollis (2001). Rituals of Power and Rebellion: The Carnival Tradition in Trinidad and Tobago, 1763-1962. Research Associates School Times. ISBN 978-0-948390-80-7.

[18] Waterman, Christopher Alan (1990-06-15). Juju: A Social History and Ethnography of an African Popular Music. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-87465-4.

[19] Roberts, John Storm (1998). Black Music of Two Worlds: African, Caribbean, Latin, and African-American Traditions. Schirmer Books. ISBN 978-0-02-864929-0.

[20] Feldman, Heidi Carolyn (2006). Black Rhythms of Peru: Reviving African Musical Heritage in the Black Pacific. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-6814-4.

[21] Chernoff, John Miller (1979). African Rhythm and African Sensibility: Aesthetics and Social Action in African Musical Idioms. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-10344-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]