Free time is a type of musical anti-meter free from musical time and

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

. It is used when a piece of music has no discernible beat. Instead, the

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

is intuitive and free-flowing. In standard musical notation, there are seven ways in which a piece is indicated to be in free time: # There is simply no time signature displayed. This is common in old vocal music such as

Gregorian Chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

. # There is no time signature but the direction 'Free time' is written above the stave. # There is a time signature (usually ) and the direction 'Free time' written above. # The word is written downwards across the stave. This is mostly used when the piece changes to free time after having had a time signature. # Instead of a time signature, a large is written on the stave. # Note heads alone are used, without time values (typically black note heads without stems) # The passage is marked " recitativo" or "parlando" Examples of musical genres employing free time include

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

, the petihot used as transitions between Baqashot in

Sephardic Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

Jewish cantillation, nusach,

layali ''Layālī'' (ليالي) is a style of unmetered modal improvisation, based on a '' maqam'', performed by a singing voice in Arabic music. It is similar to the ''taqsim'', which is performed by a solo instrument. The ''layali'' generally serves ...

, early types of organum,

Anglican chant Anglican chant, also known as English chant, is a way to singing, sing Meter (poetry), unmetrical texts, including psalms and canticles from the Bible, by matching the natural Prosody (linguistics), speech-rhythm of the words to the notes of a s ...

, the '' préludes non mesurés'' of 17th-century French lute and keyboard music, the alap of

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...

, Javanese pathetan, the hora lungă of Romania, the urtiin duu of Mongolia, the Zulu izibongo,

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any general rules, instead following the intuition of its performers. The term can refer to both a technique—employed by any musician in any genre—and as a recognizable genre of ...

free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

and

noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical sound. Noise music include ...

. Cadenzas are most often in unmeasured rhythm, and so is recitative. Examples of music written in free time include Erik Satie's '' Gnossienne No. 1'', Charles Ives' '' Concord Sonata'', and most of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji's music. Examples of contemporary songs in free time include " Hunting Bears" by

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

, the latter half of " 21st Century Schizoid Man" by

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

. Today, free time music is still a popular style of music, used by composers and performers to create a sense of freedom and spontaneity in their work. Modern contemporary pianist and film composer Dustin O'Halloran, such a
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reflect this sense of freedom. The usage of free time is almost absent in popular music.

The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. Its founding members were brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar, lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards), as well as Dickey Betts ( ...

was known for occasionally dropping into free time segments on their lengthy live jams. An example can be found on " Whipping Post" on the live album '' At Fillmore East''. The band drops into a lengthy free time at the 10-minute mark, before coming back into time about 5 and a half minutes later. They drop into free time again at the 17:15 mark and continue to the end of the song at about 23:00. Another example is in the nearly 10-minute psychedelic

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

composition " Interstellar Overdrive", wherein the opening riff eventually turns into improvisation, including modal improvisations, percussive flourishes on the Farfisa organ, and quiet interludes. The song gradually becomes almost structureless and in free-form tempo, punctuated only by strange guitar noises. Eventually, however, the entire band restates the main theme, which is repeated with decreasing tempo and more deliberate intensity.{{Citation needed, date=July 2017

References

Rhythm and meter