Simple Time Signatures (2/4, 3/4, 4/4)
What the two numbers at the start of a piece mean, and how 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 organise music into steady bars of beats.
Explainer
A time signature is the two stacked numbers at the start of a piece. The TOP number tells you how many beats are in each bar.
The BOTTOM number tells you which note value gets one beat — a 4 means the crotchet gets the beat.
2/4 has two crotchet beats per bar (a march). 3/4 has three crotchet beats per bar (a waltz). 4/4 — often called "common time" — has four crotchet beats per bar, and is the most used time signature of all.
Every bar must add up to exactly the number of beats shown in the time signature.
Worked examples
2/4 — a march
Two crotchet beats each bar.
3/4 — a waltz
Three crotchet beats each bar — "ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three".
4/4 — common time
Four crotchet beats each bar — so common it's sometimes shown as a large C.