Composing in 7/8

Most popular music is in 4/4 time and does not modulate time signature. This means that most rhythmic ideas repeat or “turn around” (cadence) in some multiple/factor of 4 - so a grid system of up segments 4 beats long is ideal for organizing them. But you can write music in any meter you want. You can go from one meter to another or use more than one meter simultaneously. In this article, I will explain how to break down 7/8 and compose a piece using it. It may come out sounding something like this…

Grouping Methods

The song is in 7/8. This means there are 7 beats in one measure, and each of those beats is written as an eighth note. It is one of the more difficult time signatures to write in, but sticking to a specific grouping pattern makes it easy to feel. Specifically, my song features the two grouping methods below.  

2 + 2 + 3

one-two, one-two. one-two-three

2 + 3 + 2

  one-two, one-two-three, one-two

Here is what they sound like together.

Here are a couple more ways to group notes in ⅞ time.

3 + 2 + 2

one-two-three, one-two, one-two

3 + 3 + 1

one-two-three, one-two-three, one

 

A Little Bit About the Song

The Affected Drums

First, it was composed using the Battery 4 Factory Library samples, which I edited and processed heavily. Then, I used Driver with some frequency modulation and a decaying envelope to get that “whooshy” sound and sent the track to two returns - one with our bit crusher and one with a compressor on it (both pre-mixer). I also added some reverb to the snare and cymbals.

The Acoustic Drums

Furthermore, most of the cymbals and toms you hear are coming from Studio Drummer in Kontakt 5. I loaded up their default kit and adjusted the pan positions, levels, and tones to my liking. Then, I sent some of it to the return with the compressor to blend it with the affected drums.

The Bass Synth

The bass is a blend of two modified presets in Reaktor 5. One is from Kontour, and the other is from Rounds. I grouped them accordingly and processed that group track with an equalizer, whose resonant filters I automated the position of. I also used some very soft compression, flanging, and reverb.  

The Strings and Piano

These strings are also from the Kontakt 5 Factory Library. Kontakt is an excellent tool for realistic acoustic instruments and spaces. In fact, the piano I used is also from Kontakt (The Giant), as well as the fantastic sounding reverb.