Time signature

Source: Singapore Piano Shop sell YAMAHA KAWAI piano

Published: 5/28/2010

The time signature, or meter, tells us how to count the music. The top number shows how many beats to count in each measure. The bottom number tells us the kind of note that gets one count.

If the top number is 4:

4/4 Meter



If the top number is 3:

3/4 Meter


If the top number is 6:

6/8 Meter


There are other meters, but these are the three most common and we will be studying those signatures.

In the following examples observe that a:

Whole note
a white note with no stem


Half note
a white note with a stem


Quarter note
a black note with a stem


Eighth note
a black note with a stem and one flag