The Time Signature and Musical Notes

Time Signature

Music is set up with a TIME SIGNATURE of a number over another number.

The number on the top represents the number of beats in a measure
The number on the bottom determines which note stands for one beat

Musical Notes

Different types of NOTES last for different lengths.

Using a time signature ofas a basis:

Note	Duration	Image
Sixteenth	1/4 of a beat (1/16 of a measure)
Eighth	1/2 of a beat (1/8 of a measure)
Quarter	1 beat (1/4 of a measure)
Half	2 beats (1/2 of a measure)
Whole	4 beats (a whole measure)

Notice that each note is 1/2 of the next larger note (Quarter notes are 1/4 of a measure, eighth notes 1/8).
These are not the only values that notes can receive. There are smaller notes than sixteenths.
Also, if a note has a dot after it, then the value of the note is 1 plus half itself. Still based on a time signature of, a quater note with a dot will be 1 plus 1/2 (1/2 of 1 beat) or 1 and a half beats (the equivalent of a quater note and an eighth note). An eighth note with a dot would be 1 plus 1/4 (1/2 of 1/2 of a beat) or the equivalent of an eighth note and a sixteenth note.

Time Signature and Musical Notes

The TIME SIGNATURE affects the duration of the NOTES in relation to each measure.

If a time signature is, that means:
1. Since the top number is two, there are two beats in the measure.
2. Since the bottom number is two, the half note gets the beat.

Why the half note?

Substitute the top number with a one. Now you have one half. Which note is 1/2 of the measure?
More exactly, the time of 2/2 (also called "cut time") implies faster notes. The longer notes last for half of the length that they would have at the same tempo in 4/4 (common time). Making longer notes stand for shorter lengths is almost a shorthand so that the page doesn't become cluttered with millions of fast notes.

If a time signature is, that means:
1. The top number is six, so there are six beats in the measure
2. The bottom number is eight, so the eighth note gets the beat.

Overall, this implies a slower tempo, but keep in mind that the rules are made to be broken. There are fast pieces written in 6/8; this simply makes the music easier to read than if the time signature was 6/4. Eigth notes can be connected in groups of three so that there are two groups of three and the measure is easy to count: 1-e-uh 2-e-uh. Quater notes do not connect to each other, and counting them in measures of 6 is more confusing.

Rests

Notes are beats of sound; rests are beats of silence.

Rest	Duration	Image
Sixteenth	1/4 of a beat (1/16 of a measure)
Eighth	1/2 of a beat (1/8 of a measure)
Quarter	1 beat (1/4 of a measure)
Half	2 beats (1/2 of a measure)
Whole	4 beats (a whole measure)

Rests work in the same ways as their related musical notes.

Pitch and the Key Signature
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