![]() ![]() The time signature above tells us that there are six notes (or divisions) per measure, and an eighth note is equal to one division. While the top number in simple time signatures represents how many beats are in a measure, the top number in compound time signatures represents the number of divisions in a measure. While “divisions” and “beats” may seem like the same thing, we’re going to demonstrate why they are different. The bottom number means the same thing as it does in simple time signatures. The numbers in these time signatures function nearly the same as simple time signatures, but there is one key difference. The top number of compound time signatures is commonly 6, 9, or 12 (multiples of 3), and the most common time signatures you will see are 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8. Compound Time SignaturesĬompound time signatures differ from simple time signatures in that the beat is divided into three equal parts, rather than two. Notice in the second measure that each of those beats can be divided in two. We know that a 3/4 time signature means there are three beats in a measure, and one quarter note equals one beat. Let’s look at this example of a 3/4 time signature. ![]() For example, you could see any of the rhythms below, because they all consist of four quarter note beats in total.Īs we said before, a simple time signature indicates that the beat can be divided by two. It’s important to know this doesn’t mean there can only be four quarter notes in each measure, but rather that the total note value of each measure will add up to four quarter notes. Now that we can see the bottom “4” in this time signature represents a quarter note, we can conclude that a 4/4 time signature means there are a total of four beats per measure, and one quarter note equals one beat.
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