Time signatures tell you how many and what kind of notes per measure
there are. The number on top is the number of notes per measure, and
the bottom number is what kind of note. Let us explain further.
Let us take for example the most popular time signature, 4/4.
This means there is 4 quarter notes per measure. How is
this so?
Looking at 4/4, you saw the 4 on top. You already knew that meant
there were 4 somethings per measure. Then looking at the bottom
number probably confused you. The bottom number can be 1, 2, 4, 8,
16, etc. Look at this chart.
Bottom Number
Value
1
Whole note
2
Half note
4
Quarter note
8
Eighth note
16
Sixteenth note
For example:
3/4 is 3 quarter notes per measure.
5/2 is 5 half notes per measure.
6/8 is 6 eighth notes per measure.
There are also 2 other common things you might see where the time
signature should be.
Common Time
Same as 4/4 time
Cut Time
Same as 4/4 but everything is cut in half.
Example: a half note = 1 quarter note, a whole note = 1 half note.
