The overwhelming majority of Bulgarian folk music happens to be in odd meters–typically 5, 7, 9 and 11, with occasional combinations of those creating 13, 15, 17 and larger. Some musicologists have linked these odd meters to the history of the region’s languages–especially poetry–going back to Ancient Greece. Others connect them to dances, insofar as each odd time signature tends to be accompanied by a specific dance. Indeed, many odd metered song forms are named after such dances, for instance kopanitsa, which always implies 11/8. In fact, many accomplished folk musicians in Bulgaria could not tell you what the time signature of the music is; instead, they will refer to it in terms of its dance. The reason I feel compelled to share this information is twofold. On the one hand, Balkan music is becoming more and more prominent …
