Understanding theory
A
time signature will always be
found at the beginning of a piece
of music directly after the key
signature. It is very important as it
tells us exactly how to divide the beats of the
bar, in turn making it so much easier to read
a piece of music. There are two main types of
time signature: simple time and compound
time. Here’s a bit more about them.Simple time
Simple time is a signature where the main
beat is divided into two equal beats. For
instance, in^44 time, the main beat is a crotchet/
quarter note, and this can be divided in two
quavers/eighth notes. The most common
forms of simple time signature are
4
4 ,3
4 (most
often used in waltzes) and
2
4 (considered a
march beat).Compound time
Compound time, much like simple time, is
where the main beat can be divided into
three beats. The lowest number is most
commonly an 8. For example, in^68 , where
the main beat is a dotted crotchet/quarter
note, this can be split into three quavers/
eighth notes. You’re likely to see one of these
signatures in a ballad or jig.Understand
time signatures
There are many different ways of changing the beats of the bar
through time signatures, and each has its own distinct feel and style“There are two main types: simple time
and compound time”
What do the numbers mean and why are they important?
Explaining time signatures
Time signatures comprise two numbers, one on
top of the other. The top number (also known
as the numerator) will indicate how many
beats are in a bar, the bottom number (the
denominator) will tell you what type of beat it
is. The most common numbers found at the
bottom of a time signature are 4 (crotchet), 8
(quavers), and 16 (semiquavers).The numbers in time can also be replaced
by a symbol that looks like a C. This is called
common time, but also tells us that there are 4
crotchet beats to a bar.4
4
4 4 4 4 6 8
12
8
9
8
2
4
3
4
4
42
4
3
46
(^8).
Type of beat
Number
of beats in
the bar
Simple time
Compound time
is mainly used for marches and
polka music.
are most commonly found in
various types of folk music.
where the pulse is 3 crotchet beats to
a bar is essentially used for waltzes.
or common time (C), is the most
widely used of the time signatures
and is used in a variety of music
including pop and rock.
is quite common in slower blues
music and, again, also used in
folk music.
Understand exactly what is meant by
dots and ties
Dots and ties
A dot tells you that you add half the value of the note to its
original value. For example, the dotted crotchet (. ) is 1 +
½ =1½ beats. A tie tells you to add two note values together.
For example, a crotchet plus another crotchet would be two
beats and look like this:. You would most likely use a tie
when you need a note to carry over into the next bar. If a
minim doesn’t fit in a bar, then you can tie two crotchets on
either side of the bar line.
Top tip
Stress the beat
In all time signatures, the fi
stressed note. In time signatures,beat of the bar is usually a rst
using four beats in a bar
( , ), the third can also be
stressed, although these notes
are not always louder or
more important.
4
4
12
8