Time Signatures

Toward the end of the Renaissance period, composers began breaking their music up into little pieces called measures sometimes called bars. This helped performers count while performing the music. The amount of music in a measure was determined by the time signature.

The top number of a time signature tells you how many beats per measure.

A measure is the space between two vertical lines.

The bottom number of a time signature tells you what note gets the beat.

If there is a 1 on the bottom of a t.s. the whole note gets the beat.

If there is a 2 on the bottom of a t.s. the half note gets the beat.

If there is a 4 on the bottom of a t.s. the quarter note gets the beat.

If there is a 8 on the bottom of a t.s. the eighth note gets the beat.

If there is a 16 on the bottom of a t.s. the sixteenth note gets the beat.

If you are asked to analyze a time signature, say the following sentence: “There are ______ beats per measure, and the _________ note gets the beat.

Analyze the following time signatures:

3 5 7 4 2 6

4 8 4 2 1 16