Music theory basics · updated 2026-08-16

TIME SIGNATURE

Two stacked numbers telling you how many beats fill a bar and which note value gets the beat. 4/4 dominates popular music; 6/8 and 3/4 swing differently.

Close-up of handwritten sheet music and a pencil on a piano music desk

SOURCES AND CITATIONS

Free, primary references for time signature — standards bodies, manufacturers, government offices and university course material.

musictheory.net — time signatures (opens in a new tab)
Open Music Theory — meter (opens in a new tab)

RELATED TERMS IN MUSIC THEORY BASICS

Transposition
Cents
Octave
Semitone and whole tone
Equal temperament
Just intonation
Overtone series
Timbre

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