Simple and Compound time signatures
With simple time signatures, quarter notes and notes shorter than a quarter should be beamed together when they belong to one beat. However, in 4/4 time, eighth (or quaver) notes and sixteenth (or semiquaver) notes should not be beamed across the middle of the bar (beats two and three.) Whereas in 2/4 and 3/4 time, all eighth and sixteenth notes within a bar can be beamed together.
Because simple time signatures are described according to how many beats are in a bar they can be grouped as follows:
· 2/2 and 2/4 are ‘simple duple time’ as there are two beats in each bar.
· 3/8, 3/4 and 3/2 are ‘simple triple time’ as there are three beats in each bar.
· 4/4 is ‘simple quadruple time’ as there are four beats in each bar.
Compound time signatures
A dot placed to the right of a note will increase the value of a note by half of itself. Compound time signatures use dotted notes, and the beat is devisable by 3 or by multiples of 3. The most commonly used compound time signatures are 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8.
6/8 has the equivalent of six eighth (or quaver) notes per bar however because it is a compound time signature, it consists of two dotted quarter notes. So in 6/8 time, there are two main beats in the bar, each comprising of three eighth note pulses. In simple time, the top number indicates the number of beats per bar, where as in compound time signatures such as 6/8, the top number indicates the number of pulses in a bar, which is three times the number of beats.
Because simple time signatures are described according to how many beats are in a bar they can be grouped as follows:
· 2/2 and 2/4 are ‘simple duple time’ as there are two beats in each bar.
· 3/8, 3/4 and 3/2 are ‘simple triple time’ as there are three beats in each bar.
· 4/4 is ‘simple quadruple time’ as there are four beats in each bar.
Compound time signatures
A dot placed to the right of a note will increase the value of a note by half of itself. Compound time signatures use dotted notes, and the beat is devisable by 3 or by multiples of 3. The most commonly used compound time signatures are 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8.
6/8 has the equivalent of six eighth (or quaver) notes per bar however because it is a compound time signature, it consists of two dotted quarter notes. So in 6/8 time, there are two main beats in the bar, each comprising of three eighth note pulses. In simple time, the top number indicates the number of beats per bar, where as in compound time signatures such as 6/8, the top number indicates the number of pulses in a bar, which is three times the number of beats.