List of musical works in unusual time signatures
This is a list of musical compositions or pieces of music that have unusual time signatures. "Unusual" is here defined to be any time signature other than simple time signatures with top numerals of 2, 3, or 4 and bottom numerals of 2, 4, or 8, and compound time signatures with top numerals of 6, 9, or 12 and bottom numerals 4, 8, or 16.
The conventions of musical notation typically allow for more than one written representation of a particular piece. The chosen time signature largely depends upon musical context, personal taste of the composer or transcriber, and the graphic layout on the written page. Frequently, published editions were written in a specific time signature to visually signify the tempo for slow movements in symphonies, sonatas, and concerti.
A perfectly consistent unusual metrical pattern may be notated in a more familiar time signature that does not correspond to it. For example, the Passacaglia from Britten's opera Peter Grimes consists of variations over a recurring bass line eleven beats in length but is notated in ordinary time, with each variation lasting bars, and therefore commencing each time one crotchet earlier in the bar than the preceding one had done.
Upper number of 1
- Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar. Variation VII is in Presto.
- Symphony No. 2 by Alexander Borodin. Movement II is in Prestissimo, except for the trio section, which is in Allegretto.
- Appalachian Spring, by Aaron Copland. Third bar of rehearsal 46 and third bar of rehearsal 48 are in.
- Decet for wind instruments, Op. 14, by George Enescu. Movement III, Bar 240 is in.
- Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23 by Arnold Schoenberg. Movement II, bar 9 is in.
- Káťa Kabanová, by Leoš Janáček. Act III contains some bars between rehearsal numbers 5 and 8.
- La Langeur, from Le follie francaise ou les dominos from Pieces de Clavecin by Francois Couperin.
- Nocturne No. 1 by Francis Poulenc, from 8 Nocturnes, FP 56. Bar 27 is in.
- Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 53, by Alexander Scriabin. Bars 251 to 262 are in.
- Quartet, Op. 22, by Anton Webern. In the second movement, bars 1–3, 5–6, 8–10, 12–14, 16–129, and 131–191 are in.
- Rapsodie negre by Francis Poulenc, third movement, "Honoloulou", contains some bars of.
- String Quartet No. 1, by Béla Bartók. Bars 3, 10, and 22 of the third movement are in.
- Symphony No. 1, by Edward Elgar. Second movement, entirely in.
- Symphony No. 17 in G minor by Nikolay Myaskovsky. Movement I has a signature from rehearsal numbers 2–7, 25–35, 42–47, 59–66, and 70–74.
- Alcancías by Silvestre Revueltas. Movement II, 5 bars after rehearsal 24, second bar of rehearsal 27, first bar of rehearsal 28, third bar of rehearsal 29, one bar before 31, and one bar before 32 are all.
- "The Eynsham Poacher", a traditional song; in the arrangement by Dave Pegg, most of the tune is in, but the finale includes one bar of.
- Mädchentotenlieder, by Bo Nilsson. Bars 20, 22–27, 33–36, 38–40, 43, 49, 51, 54, 57, 65, 76–77, 80–81, 86, 90–93, 95, 99, 103–7, 115–16, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 130, 134–42, 145, 153, and 158 are in time.
- Metastaseis, by Iannis Xenakis. The first 103 bars are in.
- Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper, by Dream Theater. Third bar of rehearsal R is in.
- On an Overgrown Path, by Leoš Janáček. There are isolated bars in the sixth, tenth, and eleventh movements.
- Petrushka by Igor Stravinsky, the bar before rehearsal 17 is in.
- Piano Sonata No. 3 by Carlos Chávez. Movement I, bars 13, 15, 19, 52, 54, and 58 are in time.
- Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger. Movement V, "Lord Melbourne", uses.
- Mädchentotenlieder, by Bo Nilsson. Bar 11 is in time, bar 53 is in time.
- A Nightmare to Remember, by Dream Theater. Measure 31 is in.
- On an Overgrown Path, by Leoš Janáček. There are two bars in the third movement.
- Piano Sonata No. 3 by Carlos Chávez. Movement II, bar 176 is in time.
- A próle do bébé, Book 2 by Heitor Villa-Lobos. The fifth piece, "O Cavalinho de páu", bar 68 is in time.
- Mädchentotenlieder, by Bo Nilsson. Bar 11 is in time.
- "A Headache And A Sixty-Fourth", from Ron Jarzombek's album Solitarily Speaking of Theoretical Confinement, has a constant time signature pattern of and.
Upper number of 2
- Five Pieces for Piano, op. 23, by Arnold Schoenberg.
- Káťa Kabanová, by Leoš Janáček. Act II is in from rehearsal number 20 to just before rehearsal number 24; act III is in for four bars before rehearsal number 27 and six bars before rehearsal number 28, followed by a mixture of and between rehearsal numbers 28 and 29, and one bar before rehearsal number 36.
- Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830, by Johann Sebastian Bach. The last movement, a gigue, is in in the Bischoff edition; however, the symbol . This time signature is unusual for gigues, which are usually in or.
- Pli selon pli by Pierre Boulez. Movement III, "Improvisation II sur Mallarmé".
- Comme le vent, first of the Douze études dans toutes les tons mineurs, Op. 39, by Charles-Valentin Alkan.
- The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. is used in the concluding "Sacrificial Dance".
- Sketch, Op. 1 No. 10, by Alexei Stanchinsky.
Upper number of 3
- "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.
- Symphony No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saëns, in two sections at the end of the finale.
- "Um Mitternacht" by Gustav Mahler. Bar 27 is marked " ".
- Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, Op. 1, by Johannes Brahms. Movement II, bars 47–49 and 51–53.
- The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. is used in the concluding "Sacrificial Dance".
- String Quartet, Op. 28, by Anton Webern. Movement III is in from bars 40 to 41, and again from bars 44 to 51.
- Symphonic Studies, Étude IX by Robert Schumann.
- Variations for piano, Op. 27, by Anton Webern, movement I.
- Intrada, nebst burlesquer Suite, for two violins by Georg Philipp Telemann. Movement II, "Lilliputsche Chaconne".
- Pribaoutki by Igor Stravinsky. The fourth piece, "Starets i zayats", uses in bar 15.
- String Quartet, Op. 28, by Anton Webern: the third movement is in from bars 28 to 37.
Upper number of 4
- Homenaje a Federico García Lorca by Silvestre Revueltas. Movement I, "Baile", is entirely in, except for one free-rhythm bar at the beginning and two at the end.
- Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, Op. 1, by Johannes Brahms. Movement II, bars 46 and 50.
- Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5, by Johannes Brahms. Movement II, bars 37–66 and 77–90.
- Pribaoutki by Igor Stravinsky. The fourth piece, "Starets i zayats", uses in bar 16.
- The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. is used in the concluding "Sacrificial Dance".
- String Quartet, Op. 28, by Anton Webern: the third movement is in from bars 52 to 53.
- Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 9, by Johannes Brahms. Variation XI.
Upper number of 5
Upper number of 6
- "Um Mitternacht" by Gustav Mahler. Bar 27 is marked " ".
Upper number of 7
Upper number of 8
- A Choral Fantasia, op. 51, by Gustav Holst. Bars 36–69, 142–48, 173–78, and 191–98 are in.
- "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles. The main verse pattern contains a total of 29 beats, split into two measures, a single bar of, followed by a one bar return of before repeating the pattern.
- "Damage Control" by John Petrucci has several bars in.
- "I Ejaculate Fire" by Dethklok. Bars 81, 83, 85, and 88 are in.
- Musica ricercata for piano, by György Ligeti, movement 2 includes a single bar of.
- The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky, in the tableau "Mysterious Games of the Maidens", the bar before rehearsal 99 is in.
- De Staat by Louis Andriessen. Bars 686–87 are in.
- String Quartet No. 2, Op. 36, by Benjamin Britten. Movement I, bars 3 and 12 after rehearsal K are in.
- Symphony No. 3 by Peter Maxwell Davies. Movement I has two bars of at rehearsal N.
- Concerto for Orchestra by Béla Bartók. Movement IV has three bars of in the strings at rehearsal 75.
- "De elegia prima" from Threni by Igor Stravinsky. Bars 83–84, 91, and 165 are in.
- Diversions for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra, Op. 21, by Benjamin Britten. In Variation IV, bars 171, 175–77, 181, and 187–91 are in.
- Fancy Free by Leonard Bernstein. In the fourth number, "Pas de deux", bars 324–25, 355–57, 359–61 are in.
- Mikrokosmos by Béla Bartók.
- *No. 151, "Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm" 4, is in.
- *No. 153, "Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm" 6, is in.
- Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta by Béla Bartók.
- *Movement I, bars 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 19, 22, 26–27, 29, 38–40, 46, 53, 69, 71, 73, 75, 83, and 85 are in
- *Movement IV, bars 204, 207, 210, 213 are in.
- Petrushka by Igor Stravinsky. One bar before and five bars after rehearsal 4 superimposes a bar of in piccolo 1 & 2, ob. 1 & 2, and trumpet 1, and piccolo 1 & 2, ob. 1–3, cornet 1 & trumpet 1, respectively against in the rest of the orchestra.
- Piano Sonata No. 2, by George Antheil. One of the bars is in.
- Sonata No. 1, by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. One of the bars is in.
- De Staat by Louis Andriessen. Bars 5, 8, 10, 12–16, 54–57, 83–84, 87–88, 582, 590, 602, 610, 612, 625, 630, 644, 647–48, 650, 663, 695, 707, 851, and 853 are in.
- Symphony No. 1 by Gustav Mahler. In Movement IV, the bar before rehearsal number 40 is in.
- Symphony No. 3 by Peter Maxwell Davies. Third movement has one bar of before rehearsal X.
- The Cry of Anubis, for tuba and orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle. Bars 33, 36, and 45–46 are in.
- The Flood by Igor Stravinsky. Bars 406, 414, 422, 427, 432, 440, and 448 are in time, all divided.
- Histoire du soldat by Igor Stravinsky has one bar in time, at the fourth bar following rehearsal 35, in the movement "Ragtime".
- Requiem Canticles by Igor Stravinsky. The interlude has bar 156 in time.
Upper number of 9
- "The Count of Tuscany" by Dream Theater. The verse riff is in, with a rhythm of.
- "Kissing the Beehive" by Wolf Parade is partially in.
- "Apocalypse in " by Genesis. Penultimate movement of the "Supper's Ready" suite, rhythm section plays a riff as, organ solo plays polymetrically over this
- "Big Lie Small World", by Sting is in with varying division.
- "Blue Rondo à la Turk" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, from the album Time Out – Played as and, with some alternating sections of.
- Estancia by Alberto Ginastera. The refrain of "Los peones de hacienda", at rehearsal numbers 62, 65, 67, 68, 69+3, and 70 is marked " "; the remainder is variously in,,, and.
- "I Hung My Head", by Sting is in.
- "Makara" by Stefan Goldmann.
- Mikrokosmos by Béla Bartók
- *No. 148, "Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm" 1, is in.
- * No. 152, "Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm" 5, is in.
- "Niska Banja," SATB choral arrangement by Nick Page of a Serbian Gypsy dance, is in.
- Un Vitrail et des Oiseaux by Olivier Messiaen uses.
Upper number of 10
- "Crocodile" by This Town Needs Guns is largely in.
- "Everything in its Right Place" by Radiohead.
- "Just Like You Imagined" by Nine Inch Nails.
- "Playing in the Band" by the Grateful Dead.
- "Rabbit" by This Town Needs Guns has parts in.
- "Retreat! Retreat!", by 65daysofstatic is partially in.
- String Quartet No. 2, op. 35, by Benjamin Britten. Movement I, fourth bar after rehearsal K is in.
- "Testotyrannosaurus" by Hail the Sun contains some parts in, and.
- "Wanderlove" by Mason Williams.
- "Happiness is a Warm Gun" by the Beatles. The first part includes,, and ; the second part includes ; and third part and. The finale includes 1 bar of. "he changes of meter either between or within every section establish themselves as a kind of leitmotif.".
- "Nostalgia" by Yanni.
- Piano Sonata No. 2, by George Antheil. One of the bars is in.
- Sketch, Op. 1 No. 7, by Alexei Stanchinsky.
- Sonata No. 1, by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. One of the bars is in.
- Threni, id est Lamentationes Jeremiae Prophetae, by Igor Stravinsky. "Solacium", part 3 of "De Elegia Tertia".
- Étude, op. 35, no. 12 in E major, for piano, by Charles-Valentin Alkan.
Upper number of 11
- "Cigne je suis" published in the collection Airs a III. IIII. V. et VI. parties by Claude Le Jeune is barred as.
- "Crowned & Kissed" by Esperanza Spalding. The two-bar chorus groove is in time.
- "Eight Ball, Coroner's Pocket" by Hail the Sun, intro is composed in, and.
- "Eleven Four", by Paul Desmond and recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
- In Nomine IX, for harpsichord, by John Bull., though it is not notated as such, either in the original manuscript or the new edition.
- Mädchentotenlieder, by Bo Nilsson. Bar 74 is in time.
- The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky. The bar immediately before the section "The Chosen One" is in.
- "Testotyrannosaurus" by Hail the Sun contains some parts in, and.
- "Where but for Caravan Would I Be", by Caravan.
- "Whipping Post", by the Allman Brothers Band..
- Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9, by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Movement II is in
- "Blockhead", by Devo. Verses are in time, choruses in.
- "The Eleven", by the Grateful Dead.
- "Eleven" by Primus. The song is mainly in, the chorus has one bar in, and after two bars of a bar in.
- "Friends", by Led Zeppelin. Main theme.
- "Gamma Knife" by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard uses in its intro, drum solo, and in the two verses immediately following the chorus.
- "Here Comes the Sun", written by the Beatles' George Harrison. The song features common time in the verses and a compound sequence of in the bridge, phrasing interludes that Harrison drew from Indian music influences.
- "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Pt. 1", by King Crimson. The song is in when the violin enters. Then, the metre switches to. The song shifts between these metres for the remainder of the song.
- "Losing It" by Rush. Intro and verses are composed out of ten bars in, other parts are in.
- Mario Kart 64, music by Kenta Nagata, at the .
- "Man-Erg", by Van der Graaf Generator.
- Piano Sonata No. 2 in G major by Alexei Stanchinsky. Movement II is in.
- A próle do bébé, by Heitor Villa-Lobos. The first and last measures of the fourth movement are in, divided into or, and.
- Sagat's theme from Street Fighter II, composed by Isao Abe is entirely in.
- "Serenade", a wedding recessional by Derek Bourgeois. The beginning and ending sections are in.
- "7empest" by Tool mostly alternates between and time.
- Sketch, Op. 1 No. 5, by Alexei Stanchinsky.
- Sonata No. 1, by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. One of the bars is in.
- "Upstart" written by Don Ellis and performed by the Don Ellis Orchestra
- "Forgotten Isle 2" from the Super Mario Odyssey soundtrack is entirely in.
Upper number of 12
- Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111, by Ludwig van Beethoven. Movement II is in from bars 48 to 64.
Upper number of 13
- "The Great Divide" by Don Ellis.
- "Rabbit" by This Town Needs Guns has sections in.
- De Staat by Louis Andriessen. Bars 356 and 517 are in.
- "Starless", by King Crimson.
- "The Becoming" by Nine Inch Nails. Begins in a time signature and changes to at the 3-minute mark.
- "Faust: Läuft...Heißt Das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald...Läuft" by Jean Hervé Péron.
- "I Will Be Absorbed", by Egg.
- "1985" by Haken has alternating measures of and from measures 13 through 20, followed by measures 21 through 28, which are all in.
- "Odd Boy" by Mutant-Thoughts, in the verses.
- "One Word" by Mahavishnu Orchestra has a section in after the drum solo.
- A próle do bébé No. 2, by Heitor Villa-Lobos. A measure in the fourth movement, "O cachorrinho de borracha", is in, divided into or, and. Two measures in the ninth movement, "O lobozinho de vidro", are also in.
- "Serenade", a wedding recessional by Derek Bourgeois. The middle section is in.
- "Skimbleshanks, The Railway Cat" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats. Introduction and chorus are in . Verses in.
- Sonata No. 1, by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. One of the bars is in.
- De Staat by Louis Andriessen. Bars 356 and 517 are in, while bar 724 is in.
- "13th August" by FromUz.
- "Turn It on Again" by Genesis. The verses and choruses are in. Other parts are in, and.
- "Weapons Factory" from the Super Mario RPG soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura.
- The Terminator main theme, by Brad Fiedel.
Upper number of 15
- "Chionoblepharou pater Aous" , Hymn to the Sun, by Mesomedes of Crete
- "I Think I Lost my Headache" by Queens of the Stone Age.
- "Karn Evil 9", 1st Impression, Part 1, by Emerson, Lake and Palmer includes a passage in.
- "Malibu Shuffle" for jazz band, by Wayne L. Perkins.
- "Perpetuum Mobile" by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
- Sonata Op. 25 No. 2 in E minor, for piano, "Night Wind" by Nikolai Medtner. Main Allegro section in.
- "Strong One" from the Mother 3 soundtrack is in .
- "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield. The first riff in is made of two bars. The first bar is in, the second bar is in.
- The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber: "Notes" and "Notes II" each contain multiple sections of.
- Robert Browning Overture, by Charles Ives includes measures in time.
- De Staat by Louis Andriessen. Bars 501 and 535–36 are in time, divided .
- String Quartet No. 1, by Elliott Carter includes measures in time.
- String Quartet No. 1, by Leon Kirchner includes measures in time.
- String Quartet No. 2, by Elliott Carter includes measures in time.
Upper number of 17
- "Panda" by This Town Needs Guns includes sections of and other meters like.
- "Seven Teens", by Lionel Loueke.
- "Stories" by William Auerweck includes sections of.
- "Crystalline" by Björk.
- "The Hole Pt. 1" by Noisia is described by the band as being "more or less ".
- "Hollow" by Björk.
- "I Should Live in Salt" by the National. Intro and verses in, bridge and chorus in ordinary.
- "Moon" by Björk.
- Sketch, Op. 1, No. 6, by Alexei Stanchinsky.
Upper number of 18
- "Birds of Fire" by Mahavishnu Orchestra. Guitar plays while drums play. Violin from time to time plays.
- 49 Esquisses by Charles-Valentin Alkan. No. 12, Barcarollette, is in, as compound sextuple meter.
- Don Rodrigo by Alberto Ginastera. "Interludium III" is in meter, except the last three bars, which are in.
- Four Etudes, op. 2, by Sergei Prokofiev. The second étude uses in one hand against in the other.
- Fünf Klavierstücke, Op. 23 by Arnold Schoenberg. Movement III, bars 26 to 30 inclusive are in.
- Goldberg Variations, by Johann Sebastian Bach. Variatio 26, a 2 Clav. uses in one hand against in the other, exchanging hands at intervals until the last five bars where both hands are in.
Upper number of 19
- "She's Only 19" by Wayne L. Perkins.
- "33 222 1 222" by Don Ellis.
- Piano Sonata No. 2, by George Antheil. One of the bars is in.
- "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden.
- "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters" by Mahavishnu Orchestra.
- "Home" by Dream Theater.
- "Keep It Greasy" by Frank Zappa on Joe's Garage.
Upper number between 20 and 29
20
- "Deux moulins", published in the collection Airs a III. IIII. V. et VI. parties by Claude Le Jeune. The third section, Chant à 3, is barred as ; the rest of the piece is in.
- "Gibbon" by This Town Needs Guns is transcribed partially in.
- Threni, id est Lamentationes Jeremiae Prophetae, by Igor Stravinsky In "Sensus spei", part 2 of "De Elegia Tertia", bar 4 is in time.
21
- "The Art Of Dying" by Gojira cycles from to to and repeats this pattern during the intro and beginning of the song.
- "Deux moulins" by Claude Le Jeune, published in Airs a III. IIII. V. et VI. parties. The first two sections, Rechant à 3 and Réprise à 5, are barred as ; the last section of the piece is in.
- In the Dead of the Night suite by U.K., "contains an instrumental refrain in ".
- "Keep It Greasy" by Frank Zappa on Joe's Garage.
- Sonata for Cello and Piano, by Elliott Carter, includes time.
22
- "The First Circle" from the album First Circle by the Pat Metheny Group. Composed by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays.
23
- "Low Light" by Jacky Ligon from his Between Moments EP is in.
- "Baboon" by This Town Needs Guns is mainly in with some.
- In , Ganondorf's battle theme is mostly in with a stray section in.
- "New Millennium Cyanide Christ" by Meshuggah repeats the pattern of five bars of and one bar of from the start.
24
- "Brobdingnagische Gigue", from Intrada, nebst burlesquer Suite, for two violins by Georg Philipp Telemann is in.
- The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 by Johann Sebastian Bach. The upper stave of Prelude No. 15 is in .
25
- "How's This for Openers?" by Don Ellis.
- "Memory Daydreams Lapses" by OSI.
- "Tenemos Roads", by National Health includes "some extremely intricate passages in ".
26
- "26 Is Dancier than 4" by This Town Needs Guns .
29
- "Strong One " from the Mother 3 soundtrack
- "March of the Pigs" by Nine Inch Nails
- "The Undertow", by 65daysofstatic is in.
Upper number between 30 and 39
30
- Sonata No. 1, by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. One of the bars is in.
32
- "Variations for Trumpet" by Don Ellis has one section in.
33
- "Blues in " by Matt Savage.
- "Bulgarian Bulge" by Don Ellis.
- "Split Open and Melt" by Phish has a jam section in.
Upper number between 40 and 49
43
- Study No. 3a for Player Piano by Conlon Nancarrow uses.
47
- Study No. 3a for Player Piano by Conlon Nancarrow uses.
Upper number between 50 and 59
53
- "Interlude V" by Mannheim Steamroller from the album Fresh Aire II contains one measure of.
Upper number more than 59
- Gendhing Boehme by Kraig Grady uses a meter of 79
Fractional time signatures
- Driftwood Suite, for piano, by Gardner Read uses,, and.
- Intrada, nebst burlesquer Suite, for two violins by Georg Philipp Telemann. "Reverie der Laputier, nebst ihren Aufweckern" is in.
- Hill-Song I and II by Percy Grainger contain measures of and.
- Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger. In movement V, "Lord Melbourne", some parts mark this measure as while others mark it as. has a bar of on the bottom of page 4. It also contains.
- Mädchentotenlieder, by Bo Nilsson.
- *Bar 83 is in time.
- *Bar 97 is in time.
- *Bars 102 and 123 are in time.
- *Bar 112 is in time.
- Le marteau sans maître, by Pierre Boulez. Movement III "L'Artisanat furieux".
- *Bar 3 is in time.
- *Bars 24, 35, and 43 are in time.
- Piano Sonata No. 2, Concord, Mass., 1840–1860, by Charles Ives. In movement III "The Alcotts", bar 20 is in time.
- Piano Sonata No. 3 by Carlos Chávez. Movement IV has measures in,, and.
- "Schism" by Tool is described by the band as largely in and includes numerous other times.
- Sensemayá by Silvestre Revueltas includes three bars in.
- Study in Sonority by Wallingford Riegger contains several bars.
- Touch Piece, for piano, by Gardner Read uses,, and.
- "Upstart" by Don Ellis is in .
Irrational time signatures
- L'Itoi Variations by Kyle Gann. Bar 275 is in time, bar 277 is in time, and bar 299 is in time.
- Piano Sonata No. 3 by Carlos Chávez. In movement IV, bars 47, 49, 107, and 109 are in.
Combined unusual signatures
- "O cachorrinho de borracha", No. 4 from A próle do bébé No. 2 by Heitor Villa-Lobos mixes,,, and with the usual signatures and.
- "Firth of Fifth": Introduction, by Tony Banks of Genesis, mixes duple and quadruple meters with and signatures.
- "I Say a Little Prayer" by Dionne Warwick uses two measures of, one measure of and two measures of for verses and for its chorus.
- "I Swallowed Hard, Like I Understood", by 65daysofstatic switches between and.
- Klavierstück IX by Karlheinz Stockhausen uses, ,,, and.
- Zeitmaße by Karlheinz Stockhausen uses,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and.