time signature

[Paula]

Hi Friends
I am a self-taught keyboard player I don't read music. although I look at easy play books to find the chords time signature lyrics etc so I want to play the song {Jolene }words and music by Dolly Parton , I would use the style ModernPickin in the country section of Genos 1 , so my book says the song is in 2/2 time signature and of course the style is 4/4 time  it sounds as though it would work out played 4/4 timing can some one explane why it wouldn't be right ?
  thanks Paula

[mikf]

Paula, it wouldn't be wrong. 2/2 is just a way to make this music easier to read. If you write Jolene in 4/4 the full score piano music would look a bit more cluttered, and harder to read but would sound the same ie have the same rhythmic feel. So 2/2 is sometimes used for pieces with lots of fast notes. 
Not so much of an issue for this particular song if written just as a lead sheet, where it's only the melody line, and that is not all that fast, and I have seen lead sheets for this song written 4/4. But because the lh accompaniment is so fast in full two hands piano music, in 4/4 it gets hard for a pianist to read.......and also to write. So 2/2 has been used.
But other than making it easier or harder to read, it really makes no difference, so the style is fine.
And in any case, the golden rule for any style is .....if it works and sounds good to you, then it's good, no matter what the time signature says.
Mike

[Jørgen]

Hi

Just to add:
The style file itself holds no Time Signature event in the MIDI part of the style.
Jørgen

[DerekA]

2/2 as opposed to 4/4 is, I think, really about expressing the flow and phrasing of the song, in a subtle way - like

your beauty is/
beyond compare/
with flaming locks/
of autumn hair

rather than

your beauty is beyond compare/
with flaming locks of autumn hair

You could also express this as a "bouncy" or "tick-tock" feel.

[mikf]

Derek, you are right the difference is subtle, but so subtle most could never hear any difference from 4/4. Some Classical composers may have used it because of the subtle feel difference.  But in a popular song like this, I don't think there is any reason other than simpler notation. And I suspect the Classical composers do it mostly for the same reason.
People get themselves tied in knots over time signatures, thinking there is some absolute right and wrong. But time signatures are principally used for two reasons, they allow the music notation to be organized in a simple to read /write way, and they pass some  of the composers intent about rhythmic feel  of the piece. But when you use a style these things are not very important, because you are not concerned with notation, and you can hear the rhythmic feel of a style when you select that style, and decide if it works.  And as Jorgen points out there is  no time signature tied into midi anyway. It works against a 'clock'. That's why most Yamaha styles whether 2/4 or 6/8 are shown as 4/4. It doesn't matter.
The only real technical issue with time signatures in style design is when it comes to bar length of fills. That principally happens between 4/4 and 6/8 and has given rise to many discussions on time signatures on the forum. But it's a small issue and by and large time signatures don't matter in arranger styles. You listen to a style, decide if it fits your interpretation of the song, and go.

Mike

[Paula]

 
I thank all of you so very much all of your explanation were so helpful I guess my ear heard this correctly. Because the 4/4-time signature sounded good ,playing music has been a big part of my entire life I never was able as much as I wanted to have lessons and then my adult years I was always traveling being an over the road semi-truck driver having to give up any chance of formal musical training and now with the technology of these keyboards and lots of practice I am proud to gig out, this forum has helped thank you so much
  Paula D

[Paula]

  now I changed the style to country 2-4 much better. this happens all the time
ha  ha
that's what I do.