TIME SIGNATURE

The mistake people make

Confusing 6/8 with 3/4. Both contain six eighth notes, but 6/8 pulses in two and 3/4 pulses in three, and drummers will play them completely differently.

3 quick questions on time signature. Answers are marked instantly — nothing is sent anywhere.

1. 1. Which statement best describes time signature?

   AThe tuning system that splits the octave into twelve equal semitones so every key sounds usable, at the cost of pure intervals.BTwo stacked numbers telling you how many beats fill a bar and which note value gets the beat.CMoving a whole part up or down by a fixed interval, keeping the relationships between notes intact.DMelody is the line you sing; harmony is everything sounding underneath or alongside it that gives that line a context.

2. 2. What is the mistake people most often make with time signature?

   AAssuming equal temperament is universal.BConfusing 6/8 with 3/4.CWriting harmony first and forcing a melody onto it.DPitch-shifting recorded audio far from its source pitch.

3. 3. In practice, which of these applies to time signature?

   ABarbershop and a cappella groups drift into just intonation naturally because singers tune by ear to the chord rather than to a fixed grid.BC/E in a progression from F to C gives a stepwise bass of F–E–D instead of a jump from F to C.C6/8 groups six eighth notes into two groups of three, which is why it swings naturally without any swing setting applied.DThe equal-tempered major third is about fourteen cents sharp of the pure ratio, which is why sustained thirds on a piano beat slightly against a vocal.