3/4 and 4/4 Time
I guess most music that we hear is in 4/4 time. It’s not something most people think about, but it seems that it’s very easy for us to all take a piece of music in 3/4 time and stretch the last beat of the measure and force things into 4/4. One thing that helps me when I’m starting to read a song in 3/4 is to hear a strongly emphasized 1, as in 1 2 3 1 2 3. (Think waltz - or OOOM pah pah OOOM pah pah.
I’ve noticed in sight reading songs sometimes it’s also helpful to look a tthe chorus of the song first instead of the verse to help solidify the time. The chorus will usually be a bit more familiar or a better “Hook” and can help you get the feel for the song.
Above all though, count, don’t let yourself count 1 2 3 (pause) 1 2 3 - force yourself back to that next 1 so that all your counts are evenly spaced like the ticks of the clock (or the metronome.) But try to keep that pulse established in your head even before you play the first note and you’ll have a better chance of keeping a 3/4 song from turning into 4/4.
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