With three beats per measure, it creates a lilting waltz time that was made hugely popular in Vienna by the great Johann Strauss II during the 19th century. It sounds almost the same as 4/4 except it has a stronger accent on the 3rd beat of each measure.Ĭut time also has an abbreviation that looks like the common time symbol, but with a vertical line cutting through it:Ģ/4 is also a very common time signature often used for marches:ģ/4 is the most used time signature after 4/4 and 2/4. In fact, it’s so common, that it’s often abbreviated at the start of a piece of music to a large C, which stands for common time:Ģ/2, also known as “cut time” is also very common and it’s literally 4/4 cut in half. Within that structure, the beats can still be broken down into faster notes, but the printed music will always respect the basic beats, grouping faster notes together into the main beats. Here is a quick cheat sheet: Bottom numberĪ time signature of 4-4 means there are 4 quarter beats in each measure.Ī time signature of 2-4 means there are 2 quarter beats in each measure.Ī time signature of 2-2 means there are 2 half beats in each measure.Ī time signature of 6-8 means there are 6 eighth notes in each measure. If it’s a 2 it means the beats are half notes and if it’s an 8 it means the beats are 8th notes. If the bottom number is a 4, it means the beats are quarter notes. The top number tells you how many beats are in each measure while the bottom number tells you what value those beats are.
![take five time signature take five time signature](https://www.musicnotes.com/images/productimages/large/mtd/MN0164188.gif)
![take five time signature take five time signature](https://i.redd.it/h12z8vzglpf31.jpg)
In case you’re not sure what a time signature is, it’s found at the beginning of all pieces of printed music just after the clef and the key signature.
![take five time signature take five time signature](http://www.mysongbook.com/system/previews/4616/original/Paul_Desmond-Take_five-Guitar_Duet-Multi.png)
The term “Four on the Floor” refers to dance music that will always be in 4/4 – four beats per measure because that’s the best beat to dance to.īut there are many other time signatures that are worth discovering because they can create the most interesting beat. Time signatures are what give a song its beat.