I was replying to my friend @BadAstronomer who was asking about the “fractional” feeling of @AKIRAIFUKUBEORG’s #Godzilla march. But it got so nerdy, I decided to just tweet it to all of you. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🦖" title="T-Rex" aria-label="Emoji: T-Rex">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎶" title="Multiple musical notes" aria-label="Emoji: Multiple musical notes">

Here goes. Why does the Godzilla march feel the way it does? ...

One of the most important expectations to satisfy with music listeners is symmetry. Our brains crave symmetry in sight and sound (faces perceived as “beautiful” are proven to be the most symmetrical). The same is true for music, especially when it comes to form. This is why ...

... the majority of popular music is in 4/4 with phrases usually occurring in even numbers. The second most common form is 3/4. Yet even then, bars of 3 are ALMOST ALWAYS grouped into two, thus forming even phrases. ...

Popular music that is built from any other signature is usually hiding the symmetry in plain sight. “Mission Impossible” is in 5/4, Pink Floyd’s “Money” is in 7/4. But, the bars are always grouped in pairs, so we subconsciously feel the symmetry throughout. ...

Ok, back to Ifukube’s “Godzilla.” What is going on there? Look at the progression of meters:
4+5
4+5
4+5
4+5+3
We feel these in phrases of two bars, So, let’s combine the 4s & 5s. We get 9+9+9+9+3.
Its 4 & 1/3 phrases. It’s uneven but still compelling. Why?

The answer lies in Ifukube’s melodic invention. That extra bar of 3/4 is used as a turnaround to pivot back to the melody. Because it unexpectedly doesn’t fit the pattern, we feel it OUTSIDE the pattern, like a little skip returning us to the start of the phrase we crave.

As a result, we feel the Godzilla march as 4 groups of 9 beats, or an even 36 beats (though it’s actually an odd 39). Thanks to clever melodic writing, we FEEL it is symmetrical even though it isn’t. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔥" title="Fire" aria-label="Emoji: Fire">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🦖" title="T-Rex" aria-label="Emoji: T-Rex">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🎶" title="Multiple musical notes" aria-label="Emoji: Multiple musical notes">
Or... it’s just an awesome tune and who cares about any of this? https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤓" title="Nerd face" aria-label="Emoji: Nerd face">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤣" title="Rolling on the floor laughing" aria-label="Emoji: Rolling on the floor laughing">

So... What are your favorite songs in unusual time signatures?

I’ll offer up my favorite, which also breaks down into fun math: Basil Poledouris’ “Conan the Barbarian” Main Title.

PS: Inspired by Ifukube, my Ghidorah Theme is in 9/8 and the phrases are 3 bars long. It adds up to 27 beats, thus feeling inherently unnerving and alien.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐲" title="Dragon face" aria-label="Emoji: Dragon face">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐲" title="Dragon face" aria-label="Emoji: Dragon face">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐲" title="Dragon face" aria-label="Emoji: Dragon face">

PS Part 2: When @Mike_Dougherty hired me on @GodzillaMovie I was so excited I wanted to tease fans. I almost posted a cryptic tweet reading “4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 3” but I got cold feet when I realized that the pattern was so unique that fans would quickly figure out what I meant! https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤣" title="Rolling on the floor laughing" aria-label="Emoji: Rolling on the floor laughing">