Working out the Time Signature
How to Work out any Time Signature in Music Work out where the main beats fall and how many there are per bar Work out the type of beat Pick the right simple, …
The Evolution of Music Notation
The Evolution of Music Notation Have you ever wondered why are there five lines on a stave, not four or six? Who invented time signatures? Why isn’t there a B clef …
Time Signatures: 4/4 or C?
What’s the Difference Between 4/4 and C? Music which has four beats per bar is sometimes given a 4/4 time signature, and sometimes a “C”. Is there any difference between …
Rhythm Questions (ABRSM Grade 5)
Time Signatures In the ABRSM grade 5 you will usually be given a multiple choice question on time signatures. First, simply add up the notes you can see, as this …
Irregular Time Signatures
Regular Time All time signatures are either regular or irregular. Regular time signatures have 2, 3 or 4 beats per bar, and the top number is only ever 2, 3, …
Easily Confused Time Signatures
Easily Confused Time Signatures Some time signatures can look very similar, so it is not always easy to tell them apart. Three time signatures which often cause problems are 3/2, …
2/8 and 4/8 Time
Most time signatures that we meet in the music we play with a lower number 8, are compound time, but there are also simple time signatures with an 8 below. …
More Compound Time Signatures
Compound /4 Time Signatures Time signatures with 6, 9 or 12 on top and 4 below are compound time. They work very much like their compound /8 counterparts (6/8, 9/8 …
Compound Time Signatures
Table of Note Names UK v. USA Simple Time Signatures Up till now you have only learnt about simple time signatures. (Perhaps you didn’t think they were very “simple” though!) …
Rewriting in a New Time Signature
ABRSM Grade 2 Music Theory introduces a new kind of exercise with time signatures which you didn’t see in Grade 1: rewriting music in a new time signature. This is …