HearmonyTime Signatures Explained: How to Read and Count 4/4, 3/4, 6/8 and More
A time signature is the pair of stacked numbers at the start of a piece. In simple meters like 4/4 and 3/4, the top number tells you how many beats are in each bar and the bottom number tells you which note value gets one beat: 4 means a quarter note, 8 an eighth note, 2 a half note. So 3/4 means three quarter-note beats per bar, the meter of a waltz, and 4/4 means four, the meter of most pop songs. Compound meters like 6/8 work a little differently, as explained below.
What do the two numbers in a time signature mean?
The two numbers describe how the music is measured, not how fast it goes. The top number is a count and the bottom number is a note value.
- Top number: how many of those note values fill one bar (also called a measure).
- Bottom number: which note counts as the unit. 2 = half note, 4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note, 16 = sixteenth note. These are the same fractions as the note names; see our guide to note values if they are new.
Two signatures have their own symbols. A large C stands for common time, 4/4. A C with a vertical line through it stands for cut time (alla breve), 2/2: two half-note beats per bar, which is how many marches are written.
Speed is a separate thing. Tempo, usually marked in beats per minute, tells you how fast the beats go; the time signature only tells you how they are grouped.
Simple vs compound meter
Every common time signature is either simple or compound, depending on whether each beat divides into two or into three.
- Simple meter: each beat splits into two equal halves. 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 are simple; you count "1 and 2 and".
- Compound meter: each beat splits into three. 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 are compound; the beat is a dotted quarter note, and you count "1 and a 2 and a".
This is why 6/8 is not "six beats". At most tempos, 6/8 has two beats per bar, each made of three eighth notes. In compound meter, divide the top number by three to get the number of beats you actually feel: 6/8 has two, 9/8 has three, 12/8 has four.
Signatures like 5/4 and 7/8 don't split into equal groups, so they are often called asymmetric or odd meters. A bar of 5/4 usually feels like 3+2 or 2+3.
How to count common time signatures
Count each signature aloud, stressing the strong beats, until the pattern feels like a dance step. This table gives the count, where the accents fall and pieces you can check it against.
| Time signature | Type | Count | Feel | Listen to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/4 (common time) | Simple quadruple | 1 2 3 4 | Strong on 1, lighter on 3; drums often hit 2 and 4 | Most pop and rock; "Ode to Joy" (Beethoven) |
| 2/4 and 2/2 | Simple duple | 1 2 | Left, right: a march or polka | Marches and polkas |
| 3/4 | Simple triple | 1 2 3 | "Oom-pah-pah", a waltz | "Happy Birthday", "Amazing Grace", "The Blue Danube" |
| 6/8 | Compound duple | 1 2 3 4 5 6, or 1 and a 2 and a | Two swaying beats, a lilt | "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "Pop Goes the Weasel", Irish jigs |
| 9/8 | Compound triple | 1 and a 2 and a 3 and a | Three swaying beats | Irish slip jigs |
| 12/8 | Compound quadruple | 1 and a 2 and a 3 and a 4 and a | Four beats with a triplet shuffle | Slow blues and 1950s ballads often use it |
| 5/4 | Asymmetric | 1 2 3 4 5 (3+2) | A waltz plus a step, slightly lopsided | "Take Five" (Dave Brubeck Quartet), the Mission: Impossible theme, "Mars" from Holst's The Planets |
| 7/4 and 7/8 | Asymmetric | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, grouped 4+3 or 2+2+3 | A bar that comes round "early" | Pink Floyd's "Money" (main riff in 7/4); Balkan dance music in 7/8 |
How to count 6/8 time
- Clap six even eighth notes and say "1 2 3 4 5 6", leaning on 1 and 4.
- Speed up a little and tap your foot only on 1 and 4. Those foot taps are the real beats.
- Switch to "1 and a 2 and a". Same notes, now named by beat.
- Sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and tap your foot. It lands on "Row, row, row your boat": two taps per bar, with "your" squeezed in just before "boat".
Very slow 6/8 is sometimes counted in six, with a beat on every eighth note. If you can't feel two beats, slow down and count six first, then speed up until the 1 and 4 take over.
What's the difference between 3/4 and 6/8?
Both 3/4 and 6/8 hold six eighth notes per bar, but they group them differently: 3/4 is three beats of two eighths (1 and 2 and 3 and), and 6/8 is two beats of three eighths (1 and a 2 and a). Clap six even notes and accent them both ways:
- 3/4: ONE two THREE four FIVE six (accents on 1, 3 and 5 of the six eighths, the strongest on 1).
- 6/8: ONE two three FOUR five six.
The song "America" from West Side Story famously alternates the two groupings bar by bar, which is why its rhythm feels like it keeps tipping over.
How to hear the time signature of a song
You hear meter by finding the strongest beat and counting until it comes back. Four steps work for most music:
- Tap the pulse. Tap your foot along with the song without thinking about numbers.
- Find beat 1. Listen for where the bass note or the chord changes, and where the kick drum lands. That is usually the downbeat.
- Count to the next beat 1. If you get to 4 before it comes round again, you are probably in 4/4; if you get to 3, it is a waltz feel.
- Check the subdivision. If each beat seems to split into three (a lilting "dum-da-da"), you are in a compound meter: 6/8 instead of 2/4, or 12/8 instead of 4/4.
The quickest contrast to practice is waltz against march: a waltz has one strong beat and two light ones ("oom-pah-pah"), a march alternates strong and light like walking ("left, right"). Off-beat accents that seem to fight the meter are a separate thing, covered in our guide to syncopation.
Common mistakes with time signatures
- Reading the bottom number as a beat count. In 3/8, the 8 doesn't mean eight of anything; it means the eighth note is the unit.
- Counting 6/8 in six at a normal tempo. At most tempos 6/8 has two beats. Counting six makes the music sound stiff.
- Confusing meter with tempo. A slow ballad and a fast punk song can both be in 4/4.
- Calling the backbeat beat 1. Snare hits on 2 and 4 in rock and pop are loud, but they are not the downbeat. Follow the bass to find 1.
Practice meter in Hearmony
Hearmony's Rhythm Ranch adventure trains this by ear. In the "Waltz or march?" unit you hear a stream of clicks with an accent on every first beat and answer how many beats are in each bar: 2, 3 or 4. Other units compare tempos (is the second beat faster or slower?), play a one-bar rhythm for you to pick from a beat grid, and ask you to tap it back after four count-in clicks, with a syncopation unit near the end. Rhythm Ranch is part of Hearmony Pro; compound meters such as 6/8 aren't drilled there yet, so practice those with the songs in the table. The ear training for beginners plan shows how rhythm fits next to pitch work. Hearmony is an iPhone app, available on the App Store.
For a longer list of signatures, including irregular ones, see the reference entry on time signatures.