Comments on: Music in 3/4 time -- any suggestions?

Question: Music in 3/4 time -- any suggestions?

long haired lover from liverpool — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:40:58 -0800

Music in 3/4 time: Any suggestions?

I love music in 3/4 time, although I don't know why. I'm into Chopin (Mazurkas, Polonaises, Waltzes), and the Strauss family. But I'm open to other suggestions, either classical or outside of classical. I've never really looked into South American music, a lot of which I understand is in 3/4 time.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:46:37 -0800

Waltz in Black by The Stranglers

By: sully75

sully75 — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:50:38 -0800

There's so much music in 3/4 time...you have plenty to choose from.

You might like fiddle music waltz's. Maybe the most famous right now is Ashokan Farewell by Jay Unger. It's played in pretty much every North American fiddle tradition. There are a million contra dance waltzs. Irish fiddle players play quite a few waltzs. They are very common in old time music.

There are a lot of waltz's in Tango music too.

Try this and this.

You might like this too...

By: long haired lover from liverpool

long haired lover from liverpool — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:57:08 -0800

Please read the question. I think an appreciation of Strauss means I know about "old time waltzes" (your search term of YouTube). I'm looking for interesting styles of music really. Maybe I didn't make that clear.

By: long haired lover from liverpool

long haired lover from liverpool — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:57:56 -0800

There's so much music in 3/4 time...you have plenty to choose from.

Yes, but I'm looking for recommendations. That's why I'm posting here rather than Googling.

By: Ironmouth

Ironmouth — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:59:38 -0800

Dear Doctor by the Rolling Stones.

By: notsnot

notsnot — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:09:41 -0800

Most of Neko Case's "Furnace Room Lullaby" is in 3/4. But it's not even remotely classical - more torchy alt-country. Good stuff nonetheless.

By: misteraitch

misteraitch — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:12:58 -0800

There are Liszt's Mephisto Waltzes, and the lesser-known Valses Oubliées ('Forgotten Waltzes'), of which I particularly like nos. 2 & 3.

And how about Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales or, a favourite of mine, La Valse?

By: tiny crocodile

tiny crocodile — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:13:45 -0800

There are quite a few Elliott Smith songs in Waltz time. Here's one, called Waltz #2.

By: nicolin

nicolin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:16:19 -0800

I'd recommend max roach and his jazz in 3/4 time. Of course, for another version of the beautiful "valse hot", maybe more relaxed and waltzing smoothly, I would recommend +4 too.

By: tiny crocodile

tiny crocodile — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:21:02 -0800

Leonard Cohen has a few too: Take this Waltz is a personal favourite. And for something completely different, how's about Mogwai's Waltz for Aidan, for which someone on youtube has done a really nice video.

By: tiny crocodile

tiny crocodile — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:23:29 -0800

By the way this is a great question.

By: tiburon

tiburon — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:34:43 -0800

Clem Snide has some great songs in 3/4. Check out their first album, Your Favorite Music.

By: ericales

ericales — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:41:01 -0800

My Name is Jonas by Weezer. Off of the self titled blue album.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:43:32 -0800

Ignoring the irrelevant video, Savatage's Morning Sun is a notable example of a hard-rocker in 3/4. Their later albums have some other examples, too.

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:49:15 -0800

Coltrane--My Favorite Things
Miles Davis--Someday My Prince Will Come
Toots Theilman--Bluesette
Cracker--Dr Bernice
Red Hot Chili Peppers--Breaking The Girl
Pariament--(you're a fish and I'm a) Water Sign

By: Johnny Assay

Johnny Assay — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:50:28 -0800

Many movements of well-known larger works are in triple meter. Here's some of my favourites:

Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica"), third movement
Berlioz, "Serment de Reconciliation" from "Roméo et Juliette"
Dvorak, Symphony No. 8, third movement
Elgar, "Enigma Variations" (although a few movements may be in duple meter, I think)
Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5, third movement (this one's in 9/8 — double your triple-meter goodness!)
Resphighi, "Pines near a catacomb" from "Pines of Rome"
Saint-Saëns, Symphony No. 3 ("Organ"), final movement (this one will make you think of cute pigs)
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5, second movement
Stravinsky, "Kashchei's Infernal Dance" from "The Firebird"
Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1, first movement (opening section)

Based on the preferences you list above, I'd guess that you'd most like the Saint-Saëns and the Tchaikovsky out of these.

By: ob

ob — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:14:40 -0800

Seconding Ravel La Valse, but what about Bolero?

By: minervous

minervous — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:28:09 -0800

Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music (wiki, Sondheim.com, YouTube 1, YouTube 2, YouTube 3, YouTube 4 ) is composed entirely in 3/4 or related meters.

It's perched halfway between musical and operetta, and betters both, I think, by being a fully realized narrative inside a complex and beautiful score.

Caveat: Most of the YouTube excerpts available (with the exception of the first two I linked above, which feature 1) Dame Judy Dench performing the one song from the score you probably already know and 2) a great performance one of the large numbers from a Sondheim tribute concert at Carnegie Hall) are from the 1990 production at Lincoln Center ...which features great voices and truly awful acting.

By: bassjump

bassjump — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:46:38 -0800

There are some good klezmer waltzes out there. A few songs that come to mind:
- the middle section of "Tsirkus" by Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band
- "Ershter Vals" by the Klezmatics
- "Di Goldene Pave" by Chava Alberstein and the Klezmatics
- Klezmer Waltz by Margot Leverett & The Klezmer Mountain Boys
- "Flatbush Waltz" by Andy Statman
- "Medyatsiner Waltz" by Metropolitan Klezmer

By: teleskiving

teleskiving — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:54:27 -0800

Here's Hold You In My Arms from the wonderful Ray LaMontagne. The genre is American folk.

By: plinth

plinth — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:22:07 -0800

When I Grow Too Old To Dream (This Linda Ronstadt/Kermit version is quite nice)
Someday My Prince Will Come - the Miles Davis version is considered canon in Jazz, but personally I don't care for most Miles Davis
Waltz for Debby by Bill Evans is sublime.
The Great Pumpkin Waltz (crappy amateur big band) by Vince Guaraldi (although out of season, I've always loved his O Tannenbaum)
A Child is Born Oscar Peterson

And if you want to melt your brain, try to find a recording of Robert Jager's Suite #3 for Concert Band. The second movement is a waltz, but most of it is alternating bars of 3/4 and 2/4.

By: Weebot

Weebot — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:05:17 -0800

Bright Eyes' "We are Nowhere and It's Now" is a very pretty song.

By: candyland

candyland — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:18:25 -0800

Norwegian Wood - The Beatles

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:27:33 -0800

Mexico - Cake
John McCrea, at a live show "What. Is. Wrong. With this country, that we can't settle down. And listen. To a song in 3/4 time on the weekend?!"

By: L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg

L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:37:34 -0800

You could listen to the middle eight of "We Can Work It Out."

By: frecklefaerie

frecklefaerie — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:22:52 -0800

Most third movements of late 18th and 19th century symphonies are the "Trio" or "Minuet" and are usually in 3/4. Among my favorites:

"Scherzo" (Third movement)from Beethoven's Third Symphony
"Minuet" from Mozart's Eine Kleine Nacht Music

Parts of Scheherezade by Rimsky Korsakov are in 3/4. Most of the piece is in 3/4 and 6/8. I bet you would really like that.

By: sully75

sully75 — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:12:12 -0800

um..."Old time waltz" refers to old time Appalachian fiddle playing, nothing at all to do with classical music. So I guess, perhaps read the answers before asking me to read the question? I was trying to help you out.

BTW a lot of the jazz mentioned here is actually in 6/8. But I guess you know that already.

By: timeistight

timeistight — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:32:33 -0800

Manic Depression – Jimi Hendrix Experience

By: phrontist

phrontist — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:37:28 -0800

Afro Waltz off of Afro Rock by John Cameron. Funk in 3/4. MeFi mail me.

By: wemayfreeze

wemayfreeze — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:16:13 -0800

The Weakerthans have a couple great waltzes off their most recent record.

Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure
Utilities

Oh, look, here's a playlist with both of 'em.

By: LordSludge

LordSludge — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:16:01 -0800

Progressive Metal in (mostly) 3/4:
Symphony X -- Revelation

By: LordSludge

LordSludge — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:52:50 -0800

More well-known prog: Tool -- Ænema

By: tepidmonkey

tepidmonkey — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:22:28 -0800

I definitely recommend:

• Tchaikovsky: Fifth Symphony, third movt. (Valse)
• Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings, second movt. (Valse)
• Dvořák: Serenade for Strings, second movt. (Tempo di valse)

By: onshi

onshi — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:01:38 -0800

Sarah Harmer - Oleander

By: Bun

Bun — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:52:49 -0800

I can't pass up an opportunity to recommend the album Exotic, by Dolorean, if you're willing to get far outside of classical. Not all of the tracks are in 3/4, but at least take a few minutes to preview - it's fantastic stuff.

By: sparkletone

sparkletone — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:03:52 -0800

Nude from the most recent radiohead album is in 3/4 time.

There are some Elvis Costello songs in 3/4 time, but I'm blanking on names (I think there's at least one on Imperial Bedroom).

Someone already mentioned Elliott Smith.

By: sparkletone

sparkletone — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:18:41 -0800

Nude from the most recent radiohead album is in 3/4 time.

Actually. On further reflection, it's really in 6/8 time. But, um. I guess you could notate it in 3/4 if you were bored or something.