Galway Bay Time Signature

Cliff Bowman

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Aug 22, 2013, 3:04:36 PM8/22/13

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What is the time signature for the song "Galway Bay?"

This website (which is usually awesome) says 3/4:

http://brianflynn.ie/?p=651

When I listen to the Quiet Man soundtrack or any other recording, I hear the song in 4/4.

Thanks!

Tony Done

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Aug 22, 2013, 4:48:10 PM8/22/13

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Yeah, 4/4. That version is ugly as, IMO.

--
Tony Done

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=784456

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Nil

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Aug 22, 2013, 4:49:42 PM8/22/13

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On 22 Aug 2013, Cliff Bowman <hcbo...@gmail.com> wrote in
alt.guitar.beginner:

He's mi-stating the time. He says "waltz time", which means 3/4, but
he's actually explicitly counting 6/8, and that's its real time
signature.

As he says,

||: (1) 2 3 (2) 2 3 :||

Notice there are 6 beats to the bar, with the accent on beats
1 and 4, and that beat 1 is stressed more than beat 4. Each measure has
6 beats.

Waltz time (3/4) is like this:

||: 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 :||

Each measure has 3 beats and the first beat of each measure is equally
stressed. These are dance rhythms. If you know how to waltz, you'll
know that your left foot leads on each 1 beat.

Maybe you're thinking of it as 2/4, with each quarter note played as
triplets ( 1 & a 2 & a ). That's not wrong exactly, but it's less
accurate and descriptive than calling it 6/8.

Tony Done

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Aug 22, 2013, 5:58:36 PM8/22/13

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Do you like the feel of that rendition? Anything with triplets reminds
me of galloping horses, not really in the spirit of that song. I
couldn't decide what the "normal" signature was for it, so I looked up a
few examples of the sheet music and it is given as 4/4.

Nil

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Aug 22, 2013, 7:04:38 PM8/22/13

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On 22 Aug 2013, Tony Done <tony...@bigpond.com> wrote in
alt.guitar.beginner:

> Do you like the feel of that rendition? Anything with triplets
> reminds me of galloping horses, not really in the spirit of that
> song. I couldn't decide what the "normal" signature was for it, so
> I looked up a few examples of the sheet music and it is given as
> 4/4.

The song itself is a bit of sentimental claptrap, but the meter doesn't
bother me particularly. I find a bunch of other renditions of it on
youtube, and some of them are in 4/4 and some are in 6/8. The 6/8 kinda
suits the Irish folk song, singing-into-your-beer vibe of it, I guess.

gonjah

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Aug 22, 2013, 7:14:21 PM8/22/13

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On 8/22/2013 3:48 PM, Tony Done wrote:
> On 23/08/2013 5:04 AM, Cliff Bowman wrote:
>> What is the time signature for the song "Galway Bay?"
>>
>> This website (which is usually awesome) says 3/4:
>>
>> http://brianflynn.ie/?p=651
>>
>> When I listen to the Quiet Man soundtrack or any other recording, I
>> hear the song in 4/4.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>
> Yeah, 4/4. That version is ugly as, IMO.
>

I don't think he's bad at all. I count 3/4 there but on other recordings
I count 4/4.

Nice tune. But...I'm part Irish. :)

Pt

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Aug 22, 2013, 11:34:42 PM8/22/13

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That would make it a partially nice tune.

Pt

David L. Martel

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Aug 23, 2013, 7:23:30 AM8/23/13

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Nil,

I went on YouTube and listened to parts of 3 different versions. They all
are in 6/8. Can you point me to a 4/4 version.

Dave M.

Nil

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Aug 23, 2013, 11:31:49 AM8/23/13

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On 23 Aug 2013, "David L. Martel" <mart...@frontier.com> wrote in
alt.guitar.beginner:

> I went on YouTube and listened to parts of 3 different versions.
> They all are in 6/8. Can you point me to a 4/4 version.

I find more 4/4 renditions on youtube than 6/8 ones. Here are some of
each:

4/4

http://youtu.be/Zf3HjUF5dn4

http://youtu.be/kxRxTBrraoQ

http://youtu.be/b9NM3SMRtaQ

http://youtu.be/L2TbCzt3-c4

http://youtu.be/I4ZNDsy8j8w

http://youtu.be/2VMiQ8YVaZU

6/8:

http://youtu.be/CyJG5rUkzRc

http://youtu.be/9NIT_G0NDYU

http://youtu.be/c4hGcdtOkxE

http://youtu.be/D2L55jilprg

Cliff Bowman

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Aug 23, 2013, 1:21:15 PM8/23/13

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On Friday, August 23, 2013 11:31:49 AM UTC-4, Nil wrote:

> I find more 4/4 renditions on youtube than 6/8 ones. Here are some of

> each: <examples>

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. I think some of Nil's 6/8 examples are a different (and better) song. Knowing there's more than one way to play it, I'll try the song in the meter I can manage (4/4).

Nil

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Aug 23, 2013, 2:57:46 PM8/23/13

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On 23 Aug 2013, Cliff Bowman <hcbo...@gmail.com> wrote in
alt.guitar.beginner:

You're right - I didn't notice that the ones by and Philomena Begley
and Dolores Keane are a different (but similar) song. The 6/8 one by
Foster and Allen is your song, as are all the 4/4 ones.

You should try it both ways, if for no other reason than to get more
comfortable with 6/8.