How Do You Read Music, Part 7 (Time Signatures)?
In this article, we will learn to understand the meaning of the time signature (numbers found at the beginning of a line of music.) Notice that time signatures contain two numbers, one number on top and one number on the bottom. First, we need to review two definitions. Beat – The basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music (wordnet.princeton.edu) Measure – The smallest metrical divisions of a composition, containing a fixed number of beats, marked off by vertical lines on the staff. (http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/) The top number tells you the number of beats in each measure. The bottom number tells you the value of note that gets one beat. -A 1 on the bottom of the time signature lets you know that the whole note gets one beat. -A 2 on the bottom of the time signature lets you know that the half note gets one beat. -A 4 on the bottom of the time signature lets you know that the quarter note gets one beat. -An 8 on the bottom of the time signature lets you know that the eighth n
