The Time Signature, written immediately after the key signature, is a pattern of numbers that looks like a fraction that tells you two things…
- The top number tells you how many beats (pulses) are in a measure.
- The bottom number tell you which type of note gets the beat (pulse).
Here are a few examples:
This Time Signature (3/4) tells us that there are three quarter notes per measure and that each quarter note gets one beat…
This Time Signature (4/4) tells use that there are four quarter notes per measure and that each quarter note gets one beat…
Note: 4/4 time is so common that it is sometimes written as the letter “C” (for Common time) instead…
This Time Signature (6/8) tells use that there are six eighth notes per measure and that each eighth note gets one beat…
By the way, a wide variety of time signatures is possible: 2/4, 2/2, 3/8, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 9/8, 10/8, 12/8 and so on!