<p>I have to play this piece for an audition, and I’m having trouble counting parts of it. There’s a weird time signature I haven’t seen before (3/4 in cut time), but combined with quarter notes and rests, making it look like it’d be easier to count in 4/4 cut time…is there an easier way to think of this when I’m counting it so it makes more sense? </p>
<p>The part I’m talking about starts in the second half of the second page (the second piece of this pdf file, called “turkey trot”)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.iwu.edu/~WindENs/Member_Area_files/clarinet.pdf[/url]”>http://www.iwu.edu/~WindENs/Member_Area_files/clarinet.pdf</a></p>
<p>Hello, I am CLRN8MOM’s D. The time signature you see is actually 4/4 + 3/4 meaning that the first measure is in 4/4 and the second measure is in 3/4, alternating measures. Hopefully this clears it up. Bernstein could have technically written the time signature as 7/4 but it’s actually easier to break the measures up into 4 + 3. If a recording is available, that would help too. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Hi iluvpiano,
This is lastbird’s daughter. When the “cut time” sign and the 3/4 sign have a “+” between them, this means that alternating measures are in 2/2 and in 3/4. So, measure 1 is in cut time, measure 2 is in 3/4, etc.
The tempo marking is half note= 76, but it’s pretty difficult to think of a 3/4 measure in half notes. I, personally, would think of the whole thing in: quarter note= 152
but this method may not work for you. </p>
<p>Hope this helps! If I’ve confused you more, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Thanks for both of your replies! I just haven’t come across this before, but it makes sense now. My high school band program wasn’t much of anything, so I haven’t learned that much for clarinet; piano is more my instrument. Thanks!</p>