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Time signatures

A time signature is the two numbers at the start of a piece of music. The top one says how many notes are in a bar and the bottom one which note: 4 a quarter note, 2 a half note, 8 an eighth note. So 4/4 is four quarter-note beats a bar, and 6/8 six eighth notes, felt as two beats of three.

4/4: 1 2 3 4
6/8: 1 2 3 4 5 6, in two threes

Every time signature, and how it is counted

Each opens its page: what it means, how to count it, the music it is heard in and a metronome set to it.

Fourteen time signatures: the type, the beats in a bar and how a bar is counted
Time signatureBeats
4/4 (common time)4
3/4 (waltz time)3
2/4 (march time)2
5/45
6/46
7/47
2/2 (cut time)2
3/23
6/8 (2 beats of 3)2
9/8 (3 beats of 3)3
12/8 (4 beats of 3)4
3/83
5/8 (3 + 2)5
7/8 (2 + 2 + 3)7

How to read a time signature

Read the top number

How many of the bottom note fit in a bar: 4 in 4/4, 3 in 3/4, 6 in 6/8.

Read the bottom number

Which note it counts: 4 is a quarter note, 2 a half note and 8 an eighth note.

Find the beat

Over 2 or 4, each count is a beat. Over 8 with 6, 9 or 12 on top, the eighths group in threes, and each three is one beat.

Count it with a click

Open a time signature below and start its metronome: the highest click is the 1 of each bar.

Simple, compound and odd time

Simple time

Each beat splits in two: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, cut time, 3/2 and 3/8. The top number is the number of beats.

Compound time

Each beat splits in three, so a beat is a dotted note: 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 are two, three and four beats of three eighth notes, and 6/4 is usually two beats of three quarters. Divide the top number by three for the beats.

Odd time

Beats in uneven groups of two and three: 5/4, 7/4, 5/8 and 7/8. Count each group from 1, as in 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 for 7/8.

To hear any of them at any tempo, open the online metronome.

Questions about time signatures

What is a time signature?

The two numbers at the start of a piece of music. The top one says how many notes are in a bar and the bottom one which note: 4 a quarter note, 2 a half note, 8 an eighth note. 4/4 is four quarter-note beats a bar.

What is the most common time signature?

4/4, called common time. Most pop, rock, hip-hop and dance music is in it; 3/4 and 6/8 come next.

What is the difference between simple and compound time?

In simple time each beat splits in two, as in 4/4 and 3/4. In compound time each beat splits in three, as in 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8, so a beat is a dotted note.

What is an odd time signature?

One whose beats fall in uneven groups of two and three, such as 5/4, 7/4, 5/8 and 7/8. It is also called irregular or asymmetric time.

How do you find the time signature of a song?

Tap along to find the beat, then count the beats from one strong beat to the next. A strong beat every 4 is 4/4 and every 3 is 3/4; if each beat splits into three, it is 6/8 or 12/8.

Can a song change time signature?

Yes. A new time signature can be written at any bar, and many songs drop in a single bar of 2/4 or 6/4, or change for a whole section.

Play along with a beat

Open the free editor with a beat at 120 BPM playing, then add a melody, a bass line or your voice, part by part. No account needed to start.

Start a beatMetronome

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