Time Signatures Explained - Simple, Compound and Odd Meters

A time signature tells you how the beats of a piece are grouped. It appears at the start of the music, right after the clef and key signature, as two stacked numbers. Understanding it is the difference between reading rhythms note by note and actually feeling the groove.

What the two numbers mean

The top number tells you how many units are in each bar (measure).
The bottom number tells you which note value is the unit.

Bottom number	Unit
2	half note
4	quarter note
8	eighth note
16	sixteenth note

So 3/4 means three quarter notes per bar, 6/8 means six eighth notes per bar, and 2/2 means two half notes per bar.

Two time signatures also have symbols: C ("common time") means 4/4, and C with a vertical line ("cut time") means 2/2.

The bar lines divide the music into bars according to the time signature. The first beat of each bar, the downbeat, normally carries the strongest accent.

ToolsOnline MetronomeAccurate browser metronome with tap tempo, accents, time signatures and subdivisions.

Beats and subdivisions

The beat is the pulse you tap your foot to. Each beat can be divided into smaller parts: the subdivision. How the beat divides is what separates simple and compound meter.

In simple meter each beat divides into two equal parts. Count "1 & 2 &".
In compound meter each beat divides into three equal parts. Count "1 & a 2 & a".

This is the most important idea in the whole lesson: the top number of the time signature is not always the number of beats you feel.

Simple meters

In simple meters the top number is the number of beats.

Time signature	Beats per bar	Feel	Count
2/4	2 quarter-note beats	march, polka	1 & 2 &
3/4	3 quarter-note beats	waltz, minuet	1 & 2 & 3 &
4/4	4 quarter-note beats	most pop, rock, blues	1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
2/2	2 half-note beats	fast marches, show tunes	1 & 2 &

The strong–weak pattern matters as much as the count:

2/4: STRONG – weak
3/4: STRONG – weak – weak
4/4: STRONG – weak – medium – weak

Compound meters

In compound meters, the beat is a dotted note that divides into three. With 8 as the bottom number, the beat is a dotted quarter (three eighths).

Time signature	Eighth notes per bar	Beats you feel	Count
6/8	6	2 dotted-quarter beats	1 & a 2 & a
9/8	9	3 dotted-quarter beats	1 & a 2 & a 3 & a
12/8	12	4 dotted-quarter beats	1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a

To find the number of beats in a compound meter, divide the top number by 3. 6/8 is "two beats of three", 12/8 is "four beats of three", which is why 12/8 is the natural notation for slow blues and shuffles.

How to count 6/8

At a slow tempo, count all six eighths: 1 2 3 4 5 6, with accents on 1 and 4. At a medium or fast tempo, feel two big beats and count 1 & a 2 & a. Your foot taps on 1 and 2 only.

Eighth notes	1	2	3	4	5	6
Fast count	1	&	a	2	&	a
Accent	strong			medium

6/8 versus 3/4

Both contain six eighth notes, but they are grouped differently:

3/4: three beats of two eighths: 1 & 2 & 3 &
6/8: two beats of three eighths: 1 & a 2 & a

Play six even notes and accent them both ways. The notes are identical; only the grouping changes, and the feel changes completely. Music that switches between these two groupings is using a hemiola, a classic rhythmic effect.

Odd (asymmetric) meters

Meters like 5/4, 7/8, 5/8, 11/8 cannot be split into equal beats. They are built from groups of 2 and 3 added together. The important question is always: how is the bar grouped?

5/4

Usually felt as 3 + 2 (1 2 3 1 2) or 2 + 3 (1 2 1 2 3). Count all five beats at first, then accent the start of each group.

How to count 7/8

7/8 has seven eighth notes, grouped as one of:

2 + 2 + 3: count 1 2 1 2 1 2 3
3 + 2 + 2: count 1 2 3 1 2 1 2
2 + 3 + 2: count 1 2 1 2 3 1 2

The result is two short beats and one long beat (or another order), which gives 7/8 its limping, energetic feel. It is common in Balkan folk music, progressive rock and jazz. Composers often show the grouping with beams or write it above the staff, such as "2+2+3".

To learn it: set a metronome to click eighth notes, count the numbers aloud, and clap on every "1". Once that feels stable, tap your foot only on the group starts. Your foot will tap an uneven pattern (short, short, long), and that is exactly right.

Conducting patterns

Conductors show the beats with standard hand patterns. Even if you never conduct, moving your hand this way while counting is an excellent way to internalize a meter. Beat 1 is always down, and the last beat is always up.

Meter	Pattern
2 beats (2/4, 2/2, fast 6/8)	down – up
3 beats (3/4, fast 9/8)	down – right (outward) – up
4 beats (4/4, fast 12/8)	down – left (inward) – right (outward) – up
slow 6/8	down – left – left – right – right – up

For a right hand, "inward" means toward your body's centre (left), "outward" means away (right).

Odd meters are conducted by combining the groups: 7/8 as 2+2+3 is often conducted as a three-beat pattern with a longer third beat.

Pickups and changing meters

A pickup (anacrusis) is an incomplete first bar: the melody starts before the first downbeat. The missing beats are usually taken from the final bar.
Some music changes meter mid-piece. Each change is shown with a new time signature. Keep the smallest note value steady unless the music says otherwise.

Practice

With a metronome at 80 BPM, count four bars each of 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, clapping only on beat 1.
Count 6/8 slowly as "1 2 3 4 5 6", then speed up until it becomes "1 & a 2 & a" with your foot on 1 and 2.
Play six even notes on your instrument, accenting them first as 3/4 and then as 6/8.
Count and clap 7/8 as 2+2+3 for one minute, then as 3+2+2.
Conduct the 3/4 and 4/4 patterns while humming a melody you know.

Next steps:

Worksheets: Rhythm 1, Rhythm 2 and Rhythm 3.
Print the note values chart.
Lessons: Note values and rhythm, Tempo and dynamics and Ear training.
Practise every meter with the metronome.