Time signature
A time signature is a set of two numbers, one on top of the other one, written right after the key signature in a piece of music. The two numbers in a time signature tell you how many of one kind of note there are in each measure in the song. For example, <math>\frac 4 4</math> means that there are four beats in each measure and the quarter note gets one beat.
Finding out what certain time signatures mean[change]
The number in the top of the time signature tells a player how many of a certain kind of note there are in each measure. The number in the bottom of the time signature tells what kind of note is used a certain number of times in each measure. The number on the bottom of the time signature can be any power of 2 that is greater than or equal to 2. So, 64 could be a number that is put in the bottom of the time signature, but 65 could not be one.[1]
| Number on the bottom of the time signature | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1 | A whole note lasts one beat |
| 2 | A half note lasts one beat |
| 4 | A quarter note lasts one beat |
| 8 | An eighth note lasts one beat |
| 16 | A sixteenth note lasts one beat |
This table shows different numbers that could be the bottom of a time signature, and what they mean. Note that each note down lasts for one-half of the amount the note above it lasted. For example, one quarter note lasts one beat, and one-half note lasts one half of a beat, because one divided by two is one-half.
Time signatures that are used very often[change]
| Time signature | What it means |
|---|---|
| <math>\frac 4 4</math> | Four quarter notes in each measure[2] |
| <math>\frac 3 4</math> | Three quarter notes in each measure[2] |
| <math>\frac 2 4</math> | Two quarter notes in each measure[2] |
| <math>\frac 6 8</math> | Six eighth notes in each measure[2] |
Symbols that are used instead of time signatures[change]
- The letter C has been used instead of using <math>\frac 4 4</math> time.
- The symbol "File:Mensural proportion1.gif" is called "cut time" (alla breve) and has been used instead of using <math>\frac 2 2</math> time, where every note is cut in half. So, in "cut time", a quarter note, which usually gets one beat, gets one-half of a beat.
