In this case, you would indeed think of the 8th as the beat, but this you will see only at very slow tempi. If the music is very slow, then the composer may say something like “slow 8ths”. 6/8: 2 beats per measure (6:3=2), and the beat is valued at a dotted quarter. When the top number is greater than 3 and is divisible by 3 (6, 9, 12), you have to divide that number by 3 to get the actual number of beats per measure. Simple time signatures are straightforward to read: 2/4 (two quarters per measure), 2/2 (two half notes per measure), etc.Ĭompound time signatures (6/8, 9/8, 6/4, etc.) actually tell you the division of the beat because we cannot express dotted values with a number. The beat thus will either be a quarter, half or eighth note (for simple time signatures) or a dotted quarter or dotted half in compound time signatures. In western music (whether pop or jazz or classical or other) you either divide the beat into 2 parts (simple time signatures) or 3 (compound time signatures).

NOTE: even though this time signature reads 6 eighth notes per measure, this time signature usually refers to two beats per measure, where each beat is a dotted quarter, consisting of 3 eighth notes. Less easily understood time signatures are those with dotted quarters as the beat (compound time): Beats are commonly half notes (the bottom number of the meter signature is “2”) or quarter notes (“4”) (the bottom number of the meter signature is “4”).Ĥ/4: 4 quarter beats per measure (common time) Most often, you will see 2, 3, 4 or 6 beats per measure. The top number indicates the number of beats in a measure, while the bottom number corresponds to the value of the beat. Time signatures (also called meter signatures) consist of two numbers. Time signatures are found at the beginning of a musical piece, after the clef and the key signature. The first step in metronome use is to understand time signatures. Common uses of the metronome are helping you to maintain an established tempo while practicing, and learning difficult passages. Most metronomes are capable of playing beats from 35 to 250 BPM. The pulses are measured in beats-per-minute (BPM). A metronome is a practice tool that produces a steady pulse (or beat) to help musicians play rhythms accurately.

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