Straight

About Straight

Straight time means every subdivision of the beat is evenly spaced. In 4/4, each quarter note divides into two equal eighth notes, each eighth into two equal sixteenths. There's no triplet feel, no lilt, no lean. It's the default assumption in written music — unless otherwise specified, notes sound as written. Rock, pop, classical, and most non-jazz music uses straight time.

How to identify it

• 1Every 'and' falls exactly halfway between beats
• 2The snare lands solidly on beats 2 and 4 with no lift
• 3No triplet feeling — the subdivision sounds metronomic
• 4If you're unsure, it's probably straight — it's the default

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Famous examples

Often confused with