Time signatures and bars
Beats in groups
Most music has a steady beat, like a heartbeat. The beats fall into groups, and each group is a bar. A barline marks the end of each bar, and a double barline (a thin line then a thick one) marks the end of the piece.
The time signature
The time signature at the start tells you how the beats are grouped. At Grade 1 there are three, all with crotchet beats:
| Time signature | Means | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 2/4 | two crotchet beats in a bar | 1 2, 1 2 |
| 3/4 | three crotchet beats in a bar | 1 2 3, 1 2 3 |
| 4/4 | four crotchet beats in a bar | 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4 |
The top number is how many beats; the bottom number 4 means each beat is a crotchet. 4/4 is also written as a C, called common time.
Worked example: which time signature fits?
Add up the beats in the bar.
- A dotted minim is 3 beats, and two quavers make 1 more.
- That is 4 beats in the bar.
- Four crotchet beats: 4/4.
Completing a bar
To finish a bar, work out how many beats are missing:
- How many beats does the time signature need? (3/4 needs 3.)
- How many are there already?
- The difference is the note you need.
Tip: to find where a barline goes, count beats from the start of the music. When you reach the number in the time signature, the bar is full: the barline goes straight after that note.
This question is in Brainlag Plus