How Pink Floyd’s weird time signatures paved the way for prog-metal and math rock

Most rock songs in the early ’70s lived in 4/4. Pink Floyd dropped “Money” in 1973 with a groove in 7/4—a time signature almost unheard of in pop or rock radio. The bass line loops in 7, then the guitar solo flips to a straight 4/4 before sliding back. It didn’t sound academic; it sounded like a cash register. That switch is why the track still feels restless and satisfying in a way normal blues-rock can’t touch.

“Echoes” goes further. Sixteen minutes of drifting sections that move between 4/4, 6/8, and extended passages in 11/4. The 11/4 parts never announce themselves—they just lock into a hypnotic pulse that feels right because the band treated odd meters as texture, not math. Other prog bands like Yes and King Crimson were also playing with irregular time, but Floyd made it accessible, almost invisible.

That change of approach—where odd meters are a tool for atmosphere rather than virtuosity—directly influenced later progressive metal bands like Tool and Dream Theater, who built whole albums around shifting time signatures. Math rock groups like Don Caballero and Battles also owe a debt to the way Floyd made 7/4 and 11/4 feel like the most natural groove in the world. Without