Definition
The time signature is the fraction at the beginning of the piece. The top number says how many units there are in a bar, the bottom one which note value is the unit (2 = half note, 4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note, 16 = sixteenth note). The meter is the perceived organization of the beats into strong and weak groups.
The two big families
- Simple meters: the beat divides into two parts. The beat is an undotted note value (quarter note in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4; half note in 2/2; eighth note in 3/8).
- Compound meters: the beat divides into three parts. The beat is a dotted note value (dotted quarter in 6/8, 9/8, 12/8). Rule: if the numerator is 6, 9 or 12, the beats are numerator ÷ 3.
| Beats per bar | Simple | Compound |
|---|---|---|
| 2 (duple) | 2/4, 2/2 (¢, alla breve) | 6/8, 6/4 |
| 3 (triple) | 3/4, 3/8, 3/2 | 9/8 |
| 4 (quadruple) | 4/4 (C), 4/2 | 12/8 |
The symbol C indicates 4/4 (“common time”), ¢ indicates 2/2 (alla breve): same notes as in 4/4, but felt in two big beats.
Metric accents
- 2/4: strong – weak.
- 3/4: strong – weak – weak.
- 4/4: strong – weak – medium – weak.
- 6/8: strong (1) – weak (4), with each beat divided into three eighth notes.
- 12/8: four dotted beats, the feel of blues and soul ballads.
The meter is an expectation: syncopation works precisely because it betrays the expected accents.
3/4 or 6/8? The most misunderstood difference
Both contain six eighth notes, but:
- 3/4 = 3 beats of 2 eighth notes: | 1 & 2 & 3 & |.
- 6/8 = 2 beats of 3 eighth notes: | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | with accents on 1 and 4.
Alternating the two groupings produces the hemiola (see “Polyrhythm, hemiola and polymeter”). The beaming must show the grouping: in 6/8 eighth notes are beamed in threes, in 3/4 in twos.
Conducting patterns
The conductor beats 2 (down–up), 3 (down–right–up), 4 (down–left–right–up). A fast 6/8 is conducted in 2, a slow one in 6; a slow 12/8 in 4, subdivided.
Meter and the DAW
- In FL Studio the time signature is changed in Song settings (Time signature) and with “Time signature” markers in the Playlist. The grid follows the denominator: in 6/8 set the snap to 1/2 beat or use an eighth-note grid to see the groups of three.
- A piece in 12/8 at 60 dotted beats per minute is equivalent to a 4/4 at 60 BPM with full triplet swing: many producers program in 4/4 with a triplet grid.
- BPM refers to the beat: in 6/8 “♩. = 70” means 70 dotted beats, that is 210 eighth notes per minute.
Examples in real songs
- 3/4: “The Blue Danube” (Johann Strauss II); “Manic Depression” (Jimi Hendrix), a fast 3/4; “Norwegian Wood” (The Beatles), transcribed sometimes in 3/4, sometimes in 12/8.
- 6/8: “House of the Rising Sun” (The Animals), “Nothing Else Matters” (Metallica), “Perfect” (Ed Sheeran, often notated in 12/8).
- 12/8: “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (Tears for Fears), many blues ballads (“Stormy Monday” in T-Bone Walker's version).
- 2/2: Sousa's marches (“The Stars and Stripes Forever”) and a lot of fast musical theater music.
Common mistakes
- Writing in 3/4 a piece that the ear hears in 6/8 (or vice versa): musicians will read the wrong accents.
- Confusing meter and tempo: 6/8 does not mean “faster” than 3/4.
- Programming a 12/8 on a binary grid and then “adjusting” with swing: better to set the ternary grid right away.
Exercise
- Tap the beats with your foot and count the subdivisions out loud in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 with a metronome at 70.
- Program the same line of six eighth notes with accents in 3/4 and then in 6/8: hear how the groove changes.
- Analyze three songs from your playlist and write down the meter and the BPM of the beat.
Related topics
Meter, subdivision, half-time and double-time; Irregular and asymmetric meters; Polyrhythm, hemiola and polymeter; Note values and rests.