Learning to read Rhythm

[John Kelly]

Here’s a rhythm that’s modified by the melody, 4/4 or 3/4 time?

4/4 time, Simon. The first bar, coming before the repeat barlines, has three beats counted as (2-3-4) as it is an anacrusis or pick-up bar, then the tune continues in 4/4 time - unless there are other changes later.

[JeffD]

Here’s a rhythm that’s modified by the melody, 4/4 or 3/4 time?

Its 4/4 for sure. That is the fun of ragtime, melodies that scrape against rhythms. it is deliberately a 4/4 rhythm in which a melody that repeats every three is played. It is a 1,2,3,1 ... 2,3,1,2 ... 3,1,2,3 kind of a thing, and once your mind is bothered into obeying, there is the 1,2,3,ahhh,2,3,4 to further screw around with your sense of things.

The confusion is why I love it.