Accents, time signatures, stress patterns...

Question

I guess my basic question is "What do those three things have to do with each other?". I bought a theory book that covered the three but I'm still confused. I know I don't have much detail but I'm lost in terms of how to verbalize this!

Oh, the book also made it seem in some ways that accents and stress were the same thing, and sometimes that they weren't.

Answer 1

Accents are normally thought of as emphasis placed on a note.  I believe that what is meant by stress is called the agogic beat. To quickly sum that up, certain time signatures have stronger beats and weaker beats: 4/4 is strong, weak, medium, weak; 3/4 is strong, weak, weak; etc.

I think the book your reading is equating terms. They weren't being very careful. I could probably be more help if I knew which book you were reading.  Take care.

Answer 2

Matt (above) said it very well. As he said it is difficult to say what exactly the book was telling you without knowing the text. Note that as Matt was saying time signatures have emphatic patters quasi-attached to them, not that one can't deviate from it and still by technicality remain within the same time signature (syncopate rhythms). As your theory book likely told you about time signatures, rudimentary mean the top number identifies the number of beats per measure (indicated by bars going vertically through the staff, in non-baroque music) and the lower number identifies which type of note counts as a beat...for example 4/4 time means that there are four beats per measure and that the quarter note counts as a beat...the first beat (down beat) typically being the strongest.) Accents, in my experience, are typically used to note a change in the emphatic patter that is created by the time signature. To place more or less emphasis on a particular note or phrase. Feel free to email me with any more questions.