Time Signatures - An
Essential Component to Reading Music
Fractions In Music? Oh No!
Time signatures in music indicate a song's rhythm. Sometimes
called a meter, the time signature tells musicians the number of beats
in each measure of music and what kind of note counts as one beat.
Written as music, they look like fractions - but fortunately the only
math that you need to do upon encountering one of these things is
counting!
The top number in a time signature tells musicians
the number of beats in each measure of music and the bottom number tells
them the kind of note that counts as one beat. The bottom number can be
pretty confusing to understand without an illustration, so we'll use the
time signature: "3/4" as an example.
The 3/4 meter tells us
that there are three beats per measure. It also tells us that the
quarter note counts as one beat. A full measure would therefore contain
three quarter notes or any combination of notes that when counted
together, create three beats. Depending on how advanced your notation is
(and how far you are in your music lessons), you'll notice that there
are some rather unique ways to shorten beats or
lengthen them past their original count using ties.
A
4/4 time signature tells us that there are four beats per measure and
that the quarter note counts as one beat. A full measure in this meter
could contain four quarter notes, a whole note, or two half notes.
Understanding Time Signatures - Common TypesAlthough time
signatures can get pretty complicated as your experience with piano
music gets more extensive, the most common are 2/4 (popular in polkas or
marches), 3/4 (popular in waltzes, minuets, and country/western
ballads), and 4/4 (popular in classical and popular music). By the way,
the 4/4 time signature is also denote with a "C"-like symbol:
Dupal time meters indicate two beats per measure, and triple time
meters indicate three beats per measure. And the more intricate your
piano music gets, the more complicated its can meter get.
For
example, marches, orchestra music, and theater music often employ the
2/2 time signature. Some of Brahms' pieces is played to a 4/2 meter
while jigs, and some rock music plays to a 6/8 meter. The 12/8 supports
the blues and doo-wop styles. Songs that have no time signature at all
have what's called free time.
Unusual But Creative MetersThings can really get complicated
when
musicians switch meters in the middle of a song! But that only
makes things interesting. Most songs maintain a regular meter throughout
their entirety, but it isn't uncommon for a small section to switch from
a 4/4 meter to a 3/4 meter (and then back again).
You can find
the meter of the music that you play in the beginning of the song. It
should be located right after the song's key signature or clef. Just
remember that when you play, the first beat of a measure's meter -- that
is, the first beat of a series of beats -- is the one that's stressed as
a way to help the audience identify a steady rhythm.
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