Which statement about mixed meter is true?

Which statement about mixed meter is true?

• A. It is a constant meter across the piece
• B. It is when a piece uses only duple meter
• C. It is when measures with different meters appear in rapid succession
• D. It is when the meter changes but remains within a single measure

Answer: (C)

Mixed meter is when the music runs in more than one time signature, so the length of each measure changes as you go. The statement that best captures this is that measures with different meters appear in rapid succession—the music switches from one meter to another from one bar to the next, creating a shifting sense of pulse. This contrasts with staying in a single meter, which would be a constant meter; simply using duple meter throughout isn’t mixed meter; and changes that happen inside one measure describe a different effect (a change inside the bar rather than from bar to bar).

Mixed meter is when the music runs in more than one time signature, so the length of each measure changes as you go. The statement that best captures this is that measures with different meters appear in rapid succession—the music switches from one meter to another from one bar to the next, creating a shifting sense of pulse. This contrasts with staying in a single meter, which would be a constant meter; simply using duple meter throughout isn’t mixed meter; and changes that happen inside one measure describe a different effect (a change inside the bar rather than from bar to bar).