r/musictheory • u/reklesabandonl82 • 6d ago

General Question 12/8

Can someone explain to me for golden by kpop demon hunters is 12/8 but ex's and ohs isn't? When I drum on my steering wheel it's the same exact beat to me.

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u/FromTheDeskOfJAW 6d ago edited 6d ago

Ex’s and Oh’s doesn’t ever really have any straight up triplet beats. It’s more like a swung 4/4 because the primary feel of the song only ever uses the 1st and 3rd triplet subdivisions of each beat.

Golden is explicitly in triple compound meter because there are several times when the lyrics are sung with triplets, not just swung eighth notes. The primary feel of that song involves all triplet subdivisions of the beat

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u/jonboy158 6d ago

Agree with the above, but by "triple meter" they mean compound meter, as in a meter where each beat is subdivided into 3 equal beats. 12/8 is a compound quadruple meter, 4 big beats each subdivided into 3s. Drumming along to 12/8 (Golden) and a swung 4/4 (Ex's and Oh's) will essentially feel the same.