Time Signatures
The three common time signatures in music are 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4. The upper number indicates how many beats there are in a bar & the lower number indicates the type of note that is the unit of measure for that bar.8 = eighth note
4 = quarter note
2 = half note
The same amount of time passes in a 6/8 measure as a 3/4 measure, and twice as much time passes in a 4/4 measure than a 2/4 measure.
Most published music use 3 simple time signatures: 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. The important thing to remember is that dotted notes receive one beat in compound time. A dotted quarter note lasts just as long as three eighth notes. Common compound time signatures are 6/4, 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8.
In 2/4 and 4.4, triplets are groups of three notes borrowed from compound time signatures. A quarter note triplet lasts as long as 1 half note and an 8th note triplet lasts as long as 1 quarter note. The following 3 music lines have exactly the same rhythm & timing:
Time signature changes usually indicate changes in rhythm (arrangements of strong, medium and weak beats).
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