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Thomas Altmann wrote:

I would like to know how you come to predict the eventual victory of the 4/4 - 12/8 - single measure form. [...] I still find it much easier to oversee a two beat measure in cut time...
There may only be two reasons why the 4 beat notation could make it: the predominance of Rock and Funk music which is written in this way, and the fact that someday everybody will own your book(s) and write their arrangements accordingly.

Hi Thomas,
I've used charts in cut-time and 6/8 for many more years than I have used charts in 4/4 and 12/8. Because of this, I still find reading cut-time a little easier than 4/4. However, I believe this is due to familiarity rather than something inherent in the writing method. I was in a band where the two professors in the group had to re-write my cut-time charts in 4/4 in order to read them comfortably. In the same way, I re-wrote their 4/4 charts in cut-time.

As I understand, the trend towards writing clave in a single measure and in general, writing the four main beats within a single measure, is a movement that is building momentum in academia. It has begun to affect the "real world" of practical performance. My book is not the instigator of this trend, just its latest manifestation.

For example, there is currently a schism in marching drum literature. A lot of the new march charts are written in 4/4, rather than the traditional 2/2 (cut-time). Because many of the young jazz artists are formally trained, there are new jazz charts written in 4/4 (16th notes as the pulses). A lot of contemporary Cuban timba charts are also written in 4/4.

The first printing of the book "Bata Rhythms from Matanzas, Cuba" was written in cut-time and 6/8, but the revised edition which came out the following year is written in 4/4 and 12/8. Mike Spiro is half-way there. In his book "The Conga Guidebook" he writes the duple-pulse in cut-time, but he writes the triple-pulse in 12/8. Of course, this is problematic because his representation of the two pulse structures do not correlate.

Then as I already mentioned, there are the three Tomas Cruz books which use 4/4 and 12/8. Nolan Warden writes the cajon rhythms in his book using 4/4 and 12/8. The books about rhythms from Africa tend to do the same. For example, the book "West African Rhythms for Drumset" (Harrington, Adzenyah,Donkar) uses 4/4 and 12/8.

That's why I made my prediction.
-David

David,

thanks for sharing these observations.

I better re-start to practise sightreading in 4/4 now!

TA

Dont worry Thomas. You still have a few years before you have to worry about it.