The Young Composer

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Cover of Time Signatures
Reference Chart

Time Signatures

How to read a time signature's top and bottom numbers, simple vs compound time, and which note gets the beat.

A4 · 1 page · 411 KB ⤢ View ⬇ Download PDF

What's inside

  • What the top and bottom numbers of a time signature mean
  • Simple time signatures — duple, triple and quadruple — with example genres for each
  • Compound time signatures — duple, triple and quadruple — with beat subdivisions shown
  • A table matching each bottom number to its beat note and what one bar holds
  • How to tell simple from compound time, and where the stress falls in a bar
time-signaturessimple-timecompound-timerhythm

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The five signs that raise or lower a note, how long an accidental lasts, and why the same pitch can be spelled two different ways.

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Aural Training

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✧ Prefer it interactive? The Metronome covers the same ground on screen — open the tool →

Looking for step-by-step lessons instead? Head to Music Theory. Want composing ideas? Try Composing.