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Lesson 7

Time signatures

The two numbers that tell you how to count.

Top and bottom

A time signature sits right after the clef (and key signature). The top number is how many beats are in each bar. The bottom number is which note value gets one beat: 4 means a quarter note, 8 an eighth, 2 a half.

44
4/4 — four quarter-note beats. The most common meter.
34
3/4 — three quarter-note beats. A waltz.
68
6/8 — six eighths, usually felt as two groups of three.

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