Time signature
A time signature is the pair of stacked numbers at the start of a piece that says how each bar is filled: the bottom number names a note value, and the top number says how many of them fit in one bar.
What do the numbers mean?
The bottom number is a note value: 4 means a quarter note, 2 a half note, 8 an eighth note. The top number counts them.
| Time signature | One bar holds | Felt as | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/4 | four quarter notes | four beats | most pop and rock |
| 3/4 | three quarter notes | three beats | waltzes, “Happy Birthday” |
| 2/4 | two quarter notes | two beats | marches |
| 6/8 | six eighth notes | two beats of three | many ballads and jigs |
4/4 is so common it is also written as a large C, called common time.
How do you hear it?
Tap along and listen for the strong beat, the one that feels like ONE. Count how many taps until it comes back. A waltz goes ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three: that is 3/4. A march goes ONE-two, ONE-two.
What is the most common confusion?
Reading 6/8 as “six beats”. In 6/8 the six eighth notes fall into two groups of three, and the foot taps twice per bar. Compare 3/4, which has the same six eighth notes grouped as three pairs: ONE-and-two-and-three-and against ONE-two-three-TWO-two-three. Same length of bar, different pulse.
The other mix-up is with tempo. A time signature says how the beats are grouped, not how fast they go; speed is given separately, in beats per minute.
Try it: Rhythm basics builds the beat, the bar and the note values from scratch, and Tap the rhythm has you tap patterns in 4/4.