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Understand Music Theory: Time signatures and meter

by Margaret Richer

At the beginning of a piece of music, you will find two numbers resembling a fraction. This is called the time signature or meter. The top number indicates the number of beats per bar. The bottom number gives the type of note which gets the basic beat. The most common time signature used is 4/4. The top 4 shows there are four beats in every bar. The bottom 4 states that the crotchet or quarter note gets one beat.

It is important to remember that the time signature shows the number of beats and not the number of notes per bar. Notes of various lengths are mixed together and must add up to the proper number of beats required by the meter.

The various time signatures each have a different feel. Music written in 2/4 is march-like, while 3/4 is waltz time. The first beat of every bar receives a slight accent or stress which helps define the meter. The time signatures of 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 are referred to as simple time. There is another set of time signatures known as compound, the most common being 6/8 time. In this case, the quaver or eight note gets the beat. However, there is an underlying feeling of 2, with accents on the first and fourth beats.

In order to participate in making music, it is important to understand how to count in various meters. A melody is completely unrecognizable if the rhythm is incorrect!

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