A. What is a Time Signature?
- The time signature indicates how many beats are in each measure and which note receives one beat
- The time signature is located at the beginning of each piece of music and may change throughout the piece at the discretion of the composer
- The time signature is often displayed as a fraction
- Examples include: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, 6/8, 3/2, etc...
- The first or top number indicates how many beats are in each measure
- The second or bottom number indicates which note receives the beat
- The eighth note is designated with an 8, a quartet note with a 4, the half note with a 2, and so on.
B. What is the 3/4 time signature?
- This time signature has three beats per measure
- The quartet note receives one beat
- When you play in 3/4, the first beat of each measure is the most important. You might say 1-2-3, 1-2-3.
- In other words, the first beat is more important the second.
