Time signatures explained, with a metronome for each
A time signature tells you how many beats are in a bar and which note gets the beat. Simple meters such as 4/4 split each beat in two, compound meters such as 6/8 split it in three, and odd meters such as 7/8 group beats unevenly. Open any signature below to hear it with its accents.
Every time signature on SuperTime
The chart lists each signature with its type, how its beats are grouped and how to count it.
| Signature | Type | Grouping | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/4 | Simple | 1+1 | 1 & 2 & |
| 3/4 | Simple | 1+1+1 | 1 & 2 & 3 & |
| 4/4 | Simple | 1+1+1+1 | 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a |
| 5/4 | Odd (irregular) | 3+2 | 1 2 3 4 5 (grouped 1 2 3, 1 2) |
| 5/8 | Odd (irregular) | 2+3 | 1 2 1 2 3 |
| 6/8 | Compound | 3+3 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 (felt 1 & a 2 & a) |
| 7/4 | Odd (irregular) | 4+3 | 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 |
| 7/8 | Odd (irregular) | 2+2+3 | 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 |
| 9/8 | Compound | 3+3+3 | 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a |
| 11/8 | Odd (irregular) | 3+3+3+2 | 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 |
| 12/8 | Compound | 3+3+3+3 | 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a |
Reading the two numbers
The top number counts the notes in a bar; the bottom number names the note value: 4 for quarter notes, 8 for eighth notes. 3/4 holds three quarter notes, 6/8 holds six eighth notes. The same number of notes can be grouped differently, which is why 6/8 and 3/4 feel different even though both fill a bar with six eighth notes.
Simple, compound and odd meters
In a simple meter each beat splits into two. In a compound meter (6/8, 9/8, 12/8) each beat is a dotted quarter that splits into three, so 6/8 has two felt beats, not six. Odd or irregular meters (5/4, 7/8, 11/8) mix groups of two and three, so their beats are uneven in length.
How to practise an odd meter
Learn the grouping before the speed. Speak the groups aloud (1 2, 1 2, 1 2 3 for 7/8), accent the first note of each group, and keep the metronome slow enough that the long group never feels like a hesitation. Then play a drum groove in the same meter.