Is there a trick to transitioning between time signatures?

[Drayde Wernick]

I'm working on a song that starts in 4/4 time, then goes into a section of 3/4, then back to 4/4 again. I have everything planned out except for how to go from one time signature to another without the listener needing to think twice about what's going on.

http://www.soundcloud.com/drayde-wernic ... -nov-13-11

Right now it just happens somewhat suddenly and without warning. I know there must be clever ways of doing this but I can't think of any songs that I could listen to as examples. Any thoughts?

(My song is still primitive yet, I definitely want the harpsichord sound but I'm trying to find a way to make it less ear-piercing. Or maybe I'm only noticing it because I've had to listen to it for 12 hours in a three day period XD)

[VScratch]

To me it sounds like if you had the (clarinet? flute?) hold that last note and add a small run as a pickup to the first 3/4 measure, it'd transition well, but it's really something you have to just mess with until it works. Generally I find that sustaining notes/chords that resolve into whatever the first chord of the new time signature works, so for the 3/4 -> 4/4 bit you could just have a measure where you have two chords played for a beat and a half each into the 4/4.

[Dr_Dissonance]

You could:

a) Emphasize that silence before moving to 3/4 more by making the piece swell and end on a V7 chord! This gives the impression that it's about to go somewhere!

b) Start emphasizing beats in a 3 pattern in one instrument ONLY, so whilst one is going:
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 another is going:
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
This gives the impression of the coming three time!

Either of these works and there are many other ways, but these are what I thought of off the top of my head when listening!

[Stars In Autumn]

Once again Dr Dissonance gives awesome advice. Currently, I hold a really long note so people forget what time signature the song is and then just switch :p. I'm working on a song that does that transition and I'll have to try your advice.

[MYCUTIEMARKISAGUN]

I'm working on a song that starts in 4/4 time, then goes into a section of 3/4, then back to 4/4 again-

*spit take*

WITCHCRAFT! HERESY! BURN HIM!!! BURN HIM AT THE STAKE!!!!

[penguindf12]

I'm a fan of sudden jumps without warning -- just act like it's no big deal, and nopony notices!

I would say, since there's a huge pause there currently, you should play up the contrast. Have a totally different aural space, you know? You're not trying to de-emphasize the change, bring it out! The re-transition, however, being less sudden, it could be cool to try Dr. D's idea of suggesting 3 before it happens.

[Versilaryan]

I'm a fan of changing time signatures so often that nopony really notices when they switch.

In this case, it sounds like you made it so that a half note becomes the dotted half note when you changed time, so you could do something similar to what the Doctor suggested and have an instrument play a precursor to the new theme in the new time while the rest of them continue playing the idea from before.

1__2__3__4__1__2__3__4__1
1_2_3_1_2_3_1_2_3_1_2_3_1

Or, you could introduce an idea in eighth note triplets and have a little transition period in triplets before going into the 3/4.

Or, you could find a way to slow the tempo down and transition in to the 3 pattern that way.

Just throwing some ideas out there!