Subdivisions (such as quarter, eighth, or sixteenth notes) are the numerator in the fraction which states the time signature. It is incorrect to think of subdivisions as occuring faster or slower. Literally (chronologically) this is accurate, but this is not compatible with the system of how music is constructed. There is no value system to measure the faster or slower rate of different subdivisions--
except as fraction values of a measure which moves forward at a BPM (beats-per-minute) tempo (the beats in a measure being the denominator of the fraction which states the time signature).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flint
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[QUARTER NOTES...four in a measure]
Most popular music (rock, pop, rap, etc.) operates in 4/4 time, that is to say each measure (or bar) has 4 notes that occupy one-fourth of the measure. Nice and clean, it’s divided into equally spaced parts, called quarter notes. The basic "thump/whack" beat (think AC/DC) has the bass drum hitting the 1 and the 3 (the first and third quarter note), the snare hitting the 2 and the 4 (known as the backbeat).
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[EIGHTH NOTES...eight in a meaure]
In the basic "rock" beat (think Ringo Starr or Creedence Clearwater Revival), the high-hat taps out 8th notes; that is to say notes that occur twice as often as quarter notes.
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[SIXTEENTH NOTES...sixteen in a measure]
Now consider 16th notes, which occur twice as often as 8th notes. 16th notes are the tom part from "Wipeout" or the high-hat part from the "Shaft" theme. The tempo isn’t necessarily faster, the drummer is just playing smaller subdivisions.
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[THE ILLUSION OF SPEEDING UP AND SLOWING DOWN...known as Metric Modulation]
Neil Peart plays tom fills that alternate between 16th notes and 24th notes (8th note triplets). That is to say, on the highest tom, he plays four 16th notes, on the next tom, he plays six notes that exactly occupy the space of those four 16th notes. As he goes down the toms, it sounds as though his fill is speeding up and slowing down (it’s not).
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Incidentally, there have been statements made regarding certain kinds of accents occuring in various time signatures. It would be more accurate to state that these accents are
commonly used in those situations. Accents are not defined in time signatures (3/4 doesn't have to be a Waltz).