Rhythm
Time signatures: what 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8 mean
A time signature is the pair of numbers at the start of a piece. The top number says how many beats are in each bar; the bottom number says which note value gets the beat (4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note). 4/4 has four quarter-note beats per bar, 3/4 has three.
Common time signatures
- Four quarter-note beats per bar. Also called common time (C). Most pop, rock and hip-hop.
- Three quarter-note beats per bar: waltzes, many folk songs and ballads.
- Two quarter-note beats per bar: marches and polkas.
- Six eighth notes per bar, felt as two beats of three: jigs, ballads, many slow rock songs.
Hear and tap each time signature
4/4
Four beats per bar, the strongest on 1.
3/4
Three beats per bar: the waltz.
2/4
Two beats per bar: the march.
6/8
Six eighth notes in two groups of three: ONE two three FOUR five six.
The strong first beat
In every time signature the first beat of the bar is the strongest. That accent is what you hear as the meter: ONE two three four in 4/4, ONE two three in 3/4, ONE two in 2/4.
Simple and compound time
In simple time (2/4, 3/4, 4/4) each beat divides into two. In compound time (6/8, 9/8, 12/8) each beat divides into three. 6/8 has six eighth notes, but you feel them as two beats of three: ONE two three FOUR five six.
3/4 or 6/8?
Both have six eighth notes per bar. 3/4 groups them in three pairs (three beats), 6/8 in two groups of three (two beats). Tap both examples above and you will feel the difference.