The time signature (also known as "metre (music) signature") is a notational device used in Western culture musical notation to specify how many beat (music)s are in each bar (music) and which note value (minim, crotchet, quaver, and so on) constitutes one beat. Time signatures may indicate meter, but do not determine it. Most time signatures comprise two numbers, one above the other. In text (as in this article), time signatures may be written in the manner of a vulgar fraction: the example shown at right can be written 3/4. In a musical score, the time signature appears at the beginning of the piece, immediately following the key signature (or immediately following the clef if there is no key signature). A mid-score time signature, usually immediately following a barline, indicates a change of meter. ==Basic time signatures== Time signatures can be "simple" or "compound". In simple time signatures, the upper number indicates how many beat (music)s there are in a bar (music), and the lower number indicates the length of that beat. The most common simple time signatures are 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4. Compound time signatures are distinguished by a top number which is 6 or above and a multiple of three (most commonly 6, 9, or 12). Unlike simple time signatures, the upper and lower numbers in compound time signatures do not represent the number of beats per measure and the duration of the beat. To determine the number of beats per measure for a compound time signature, divide the upper number by three. For example, in 6/8, there are 2 beats per measure (because 6 divided by 3 equals 2). The duration of the beat (or the "beat unit") in compound time is three times the duration represented by the lower number. For example, in 6/8, the beat unit is a dotted quarter-note (because three times the value of an eighth-note is a dotted quarter-note). In compound time, the beat unit is always a dotted value. In simple time, the beat unit is always an undotted value. For all meters, the first beat (the "downbeat") is stressed; in time signatures with four groups in the bar (such as 4/4 and 12/8), the third beat is also stressed, though to a lesser degree. This gives a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed beats. In some cases, the letter C (common time) is used in place of the 4/4 time signature. A similar C with a vertical line through it can be used in place of 2/2, indicating alla breve (cut time) for a fast duple meter. Pieces with two beats to the bar, such as 2/4 or 6/8, are said to be in ''duple'' meter. Similarly, music with three beats to the bar (such as 3/2 or 9/8) is in ''triple'' meter. Some people also label music with four beats to the bar as ''quadruple'' meter, while some consider it as simply two duples. The latter is more consistent with the above duple/triple and simple/compound labelling system, as any other division above triple, such as quintuple, is considered as duple+triple (12123) or triple+duple (12312), depending on the accents in the musical example. However, in some music a quintuple meter, five beats per measure, may be treated and perceived as one unit of five, especially at faster tempos. Seven beats per measure would be ''septuple'' meter. These names can be combined with the ''simple'' and ''compound'' terms, so that 3/4 time can be described as ''simple triple'', 6/8 as ''compound duple'' and so on. ===Rewriting meters=== There is a sense in which ''all'' simple triple time signatures, be they 3/8, 3/4, 3/2 or anything else, and all compound duple times, such as 6/8, 6/16 and so on, are equivalent – a piece in 3/4 can be easily rewritten in 3/8 simply by halving the length of the notes. Sometimes, the choice of base note is simply down to tradition: the minuet, for example, is generally written in 3/4, and though examples in 3/8 do exist, a minuet in 3/2 would be highly unconventional. At other times, the choice of bottom note can give subtle hints as to the character of the music: for example, time signatures with a longer bass-note (such as 3/2) can be used for pieces in a quick tempo to convey a sense of the time flying by. This may be counter-intuitive, but in the Baroque music and Classical period music periods, typically meters with long note values (such as 3/2) were fast tempos, while slow movements were typically written with the eighth note as the beat. Similarly, a piece in 2/4 can often sound like it is in 4/4 (or vice versa) and a piece in 3/4 can sound like it is in 6/8 or 12/8 time, particularly if the former is played quickly or the latter slowly. The distinction may be a matter of notation. ===Most common time signatures=== * 4/4 or C – common time; very common in classical music; the norm in rock, jazz, country, and bluegrass music, and most modern pop music or dance music * 2/2 or ¢ – cut time, used for march (music)es * 4/2 – alla breve * 2/4 – used for Polka or March (music) * 3/4 – used for waltzes, minuets, scherzo, and country & western ballads. Some rare examples of 3/4 in rock songs include "Manic Depression" by Jimi Hendrix, the middle section of the instrumental "Orion" by Metallica, the first section of "In That Quiet Earth" by Genesis (band), the instrumental "Hell's Kitchen" by Dream Theater, and "The Crimson Sunset", part VII of the epic A Change of Seasons by the same band. (The sudden time change from 12/8 to 3/4 creates an eerie sensation of "time running out".) * 6/8 – used for jig, fast Waltz or March, music * 9/8 – indicates "compound triple time" * 12/8 – common in blues and doo-wop ==Irregular meter time signatures== [[Image:Take five intro.gif|right|frame|The piano intro to "Take Five" – Media:Dave_Brubeck_Quartet,_The-Time_Out-Take_Five-head.ogg]] These include signatures whose upper notes are 5, 7, or other numbers other than those discussed above. Also called ''asymmetric meters''. Although these more complex meters are common in non-Western music, they didn't appear in Western music until the late 19th century; the third movement of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony was one of the earliest examples. The jazz composition "Take Five", written in 5/4 time, was one of a number of irregular-meter experiments of The Dave Brubeck Quartet, which also sported compositions in 11/4, 7/4, and 9/8 (expressed as 2+2+2+3/8). ==Mixed meters== While time signatures usually express a regular pattern of beat stresses continuing through a piece (or at least a section), sometimes composers place a different time signature at the beginning of each bar, resulting in music with an extremely irregular rhythmic feel. In this case the time signatures are an aid to the performers, not an indication of Meter (music). : Burt Bacharach's rhythmically exciting song "Promises, Promises" likewise features a constantly changing meter. Igor Stravinsky's ''The Rite of Spring'' is famous for its "savage" rhythms: : Some composers (and even Hymnals) simply omit the time signature in such cases. Many songs in Bertolt Brecht's plays also follow this convention. If two time signatures alternate repeatedly, sometimes the two signatures will be placed together at the beginning of the piece or section, as in this example, the theme from West Side Story: : ==Variations== To indicate more complex patterns of stresses, such as additive rhythms, more complex time signatures can be used. For example, the signature : which can be written ''3+2+3/8'', means that the first of a group of three quavers (eighth notes) is to be stressed, then the first of a group of two, then first of a group of three again. The stress pattern is usually counted as ''one''-two-three-''one''-two-''one''-two-three, italics indicating stresses. This kind of time signature is commonly used to notate folk and non-Western types of music. In classical music, Bla Bartk and Olivier Messiaen are examples of composers who have used such time signatures. Some composers have used fractional beats; for example, the time signature (2 1/2)/4 appears in Carlos Chvez's Sonata No. 3 (1928) IV, m. 1. Music educator Carl Orff proposed replacing the lower number of the time signature with the actual note value, as shown at right. This system eliminates the need for compound time signatures (described above), which are confusing to beginners. While this notation has not been adopted by music publishers generally (except in Orff's own compositions), it is used extensively in music education textbooks. Another option for dealing with mixed meters is to extend the barline where the change is to take place above the top instrument's line and write the time signature there once, thus saving the ink that would've been spent writing it in each instrument's staff. Henryk Gorecki's ''Beatus Vir'' does this. A few composers of orchestral music who write using mixed meters write very long, thin numbers for their time signatures rather than the standard method of writing it on each staff; this is an aid to the conductor, who can see them more easily. ==Early music usage== ===Mensural time signatures=== In the 13th through 16th centuries, a period in which mensural notation was used, there were four basic time signatures, which determined the proportion between the two main units of rhythm. There were no bar (music) or barlines in music of this period; these signs, the ancestors of modern time signatures, indicate the ratio of duration between different note values. The relation between the breve and the semibreve was called tempus, and the relation between the semibreve and the minim was called prolatio. Unlike modern notation, the duration ratios between these different values was not always 2:1; it could be either 2:1 or 3:1, and that is what these mensural signatures indicated. A ratio of 3:1 was called ''perfect'', perhaps a reference to the Trinity, and a ratio of 2:1 was called ''imperfect''. A circle used as a time signature indicated ''tempus perfectum'' (a circle being a symbol of perfection), while an incomplete circle, resembling a letter C, indicated ''tempus imperfectum''. Assuming the breve to be a beat, this corresponds to the modern concepts of Metre (music) and Metre (music), respectively. In either case, a dot in the center indicated ''prolatio perfectum'' while the absence of such a dot indicated ''prolatio imperfectum'', corresponding to Metre (music) and Metre (music). A rough equivalence of these signs to modern meters would be: * corresponds to 9/8 meter * corresponds to 3/4 meter * corresponds to 6/8 meter * corresponds to 2/4 meter N.B. in modern compound meters the beat is a dotted note value, such as a dotted quarter, because the ratios of the modern note value hierarchy are always 2:1. Dotted notes were never used in this way in the mensural period; the main beat unit was always a simple (undotted) note value. ===Proportions=== Another set of signs in mensural notation specified the metric proportions of one section to another, similar to a metric modulation. A few common signs are shown: * 1:2 proportion (twice as fast) * 1:3 proportion (three times as fast) * 2:3 proportion (similar to triplets) Often the ratio was expressed as two numbers, one above the other, looking similar to a modern time signature, although it could have values such as 4/3, which a time signature could not. There is still controversy regarding the meaning of some proportional signs, and they may not have been used consistently from one place or century to another. In addition, certain composers delighted in creating "puzzle" compositions which were intentionally difficult to decipher. In particular, when the sign was encountered, the tactus (beat) changed from the usual semibreve to the breve, a circumstance called ''alla breve''. This term has been sustained to the present day, and although now it means the beat is a minim (half note), in contradiction to the literal meaning of the phrase, it still indicates that the beat has changed to a longer note value. In the 17th century, additional signs such as also indicated proportions like this. ==See also== * List of works in irregular time signatures ==External links== * [http://www3.clearlight.com/~acsa/rhythm.htm Grateful Dead songs with unusual time signatures] (Grateful Dead) * [http://www.doctornerve.org/nerve/pages/scorbook.shtml Doctor Nerve: Skin Scorebook] featuring a score which uses unusual time signatures (Nick Didkovsky) Musical notation
Removed the following from this page: :There is also a cryptography technique called a one-time signature scheme or protocol. ---- I am hesitent to edit here since I don't know enough about the subject, but I believe that this article (as well as metre (music), beat (music) and music notation) fail to mention the whole point of time signatures: that some beats are to be stressed more than others. If all beats were stressed the same, every 3/4 piece could be transformed into a 4/4 piece sounding exactly the same; only the musical notation would look different. But in a 4/4 piece, the beats are emphasized like this: ONE two Three four ONE two Three four,... (with Three being less emphasized than ONE but more than two and four), while in 3/4 we emphasize ONE two three ONE two three ... and in 2/4 we emphasize ONE two ONE two ONE two... and in 6/8 ONE two three Four five six ONE two three Four five six... :Rather than to say that different beats are "stressed" as determined by time signature (which seems to me to go too far), I'd say that the meter ''reflects'' the harmonic rhythm of the piece; it is an ''a posteriori'' fact of the music, not ''a priori''. Though we hear a slight extra emphasis on the beats appropriate to the meter, this is a consequence of the harmonic rhythm (assuming no specific articulation is marked in the score)--how mechanical and silly music would sound if we consciously emphasized beats just because the meter seemed to call for it, even a little bit! The music itself carries emphasis; the performer shouldn't worry about it unless conscious emphasis is specifically called for in the score. -John, music student Is it correct that every 2/4 piece can be converted into an equivalent 2/2 piece? If my understanding is correct, this should be added to the article. User:AxelBoldt 15:34, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC) :You're quite right, and I've added a quick mention of stressed and unstressed beats into the article. And yes, every piece in 2/4 can be rewritten into 2/2, though there's a subtle difference implied between the two - I suppose that's to be added in the future. I might have a look at going over this and related articles sometime (they could certainly do with rewriting for clarity). --User:Camembert I've had a go at rewriting the page - I think it's better, but if others feel it's worse, revert away. One of the problems with the subject, it seems to me, is that it's so bound up with metre and beat and so on that it's difficult to write individual articles on each subject. Anyway, there it is. --User:Camembert ---- I wonder if this could do with breaking up into headings and perhaps some subtle restructuring. (Might add this to my list of things to do if nobody else wants to dive in and do it, or indeed has any objections.) User:Randywombat 23:12, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC) ---- I bring this up here in case I make the change erroneously - it is listed in the article *(5+6)/4 -- Pictures at an Exhibition theme by Modest Mussorgsky: But the image below it has one bar in 5/4 and the other in 6/4, which doesn't make the entire bar in 5+6/4. This should be thus removed, or reworded, correct? User:Dysprosia 06:59, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC) :How's 5/4+6/4 look? User:Hyacinth :: I was under the impression, though, that the time signature covered one bar only? I haven't seen a signature like 5/4+6/4 before, and such a signature isn't mentioned in the article - could we possibly get a description of the meaning of that form signature? User:Dysprosia 21:15, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC) ::: Ah, that would be because it is not a time signature but two. However, I know realize that any reasonable person looking at that would assume it to be one. Given that it only needs a short explination that this is one of those pieces that uses two (or more/alternating?) time signatures. User:Hyacinth 21:40, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC) == Meter vs. Time Signature == Much of this material seems to duplicate what's in the article on Metre (music). Although musicians use the terms ''Meter'' and ''Time signature'' pretty much interchangeably, in an encyclopedia we should take more care to use terms precisely. I propose that this article should focus exclusively on the notational aspects of time signature (perhaps expanded to include Renaissance indications of metric proportions, and give notated examples of things like 3+2/8 and extra-long signatures) and move whatever seems appropriate to the Meter article. I'd move to the Meter article: * examples of various time signature (really meters) * "standard time signatures" (again, really meters) * all discussion of duple/triple, simple/compound (some of this is already present in the Meter article). :User:Wahoofive 19:43, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Disagree. This article should be useful and informative, not scientifically succinct. User:Hyacinth 21:26, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC) :I think that if you moved the examples of various and standard time signatures to metre (music) you would have someone at Talk:Metre (music) saying they belong back in "Time signature". I think this article requires a short explination of what time signatures indicate (duple/triple & simple/compound) with a link to a more full explination at "Metre (music)". User:Hyacinth 17:32, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) Still could use expansion for Renaissance versions, with links to topics such as Mensuration (music), Proportions (music), and the like. User:Wahoofive 07:03, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) :That sounds great. User:Hyacinth 17:32, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Page revision == I'm planning to reorganize this page into several sections, including * standard time signatures * irregular time signatures * mixed meters * modern innovations (including things like 3+2+3, Orff notation) * use in early music (I'm not really an expert in this so it will be more of a stub) Examples of each would go under those categories. I have several more graphics, so I'd like Hyacinth to clarify what he meant (on my personal comments page) by the 3+2+3/8 one needing to be more "clear." Do you mean technically (in a computer-graphic sense) or in terms of content? User:Wahoofive 00:57, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) Okay, revision accomplished. Still needs some work. I hate using the phrase "irregular time signatures" but "irregular meters" sounds out-of-place in an article on time signatures. I removed the following: :In 20th century classical music, in styles such as serialism and minimalism, the time signature is often avoided entirely (the key signature is also frequently omitted). An underlying time signature or key may be present, but it may be too notationally complex or too redundant to indicate. In the music of many cultures, time is maintained by a drum or other percussion instrument. Examples of this can be found in Indian classical music (see Indian music) and gamelan music, both of which often rely on oral tradition to pass down popular songs (although both utilize an idiosyncratic rhythmic notation). I included a new sentence under "mixed meters" about omitting time signatures, but that's not really related to serialism or minimalism; I'm familir with both genres and they generally use standard time signatures. The other stuff seems off-topic, but worth saving. Also removed: :Other unusual meters exist. Dave Brubeck is well known for his employment of unusual time signatures (see above); Don Ellis consistently explored this area also. Progressive rock, progressive metal, and modal jazz often employ unusual time signatures. The group Stereolab have made extensive use of unusual time signatures, as have Nels Cline and Nick Didkovsky's Doctor Nerve. In electronic music, Venetian Snares uses 7/4 and 5/4 almost exclusively. There are already too many examples. User:Wahoofive 22:13, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Nice work! Suggestions, of course: the image of various time signatures, Image:Common time signatures.gif, should seperate 4/4 & C and 2/2 & . Otherwise an ignorant reader would assume they are one thing (notated 4/4C and 2/2) or alternate as below in Image:Alternating_time_signatures.gif. See Wikipedia:Section and Wikipedia:Image copyright tags. User:Hyacinth 22:57, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) Okay. I'm also going to shorten the measures so this graphic is narrower. Also, I'm going to change the Orff example so one of them has a dotted note on the bottom, since the main advantage of the Orff notation is the elimination of "complex" signatures. User:Wahoofive 06:03, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Bottom number == I always thought that the bottom number of a time signature has to be a power of 2, but 84 is not a power of 2 and towards the bottom of this article there is written music with a time signature that has 84 as its bottom number. Where did this come from?? User:Georgia guy 22:58, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Read the text: "If two time signatures alternate repeatedly, sometimes the two signatures will be placed together at the beginning of the piece or section." I don't think this is really how it looks, but the explination was right there! User:Hyacinth 23:00, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::I'll move the signatures a little further apart for clarity. User:Wahoofive 06:04, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Orff signatures == The section on Carl Orff time signatures (with a note instead of a number to represent the basic unit) states that these signatures eliminate the need for 'complex' time signatures. Shouldn't that word be 'compound'? Orff signatures enable rewriting compound signatures like 6/8 with 2/dotted-quarter. :Fixed. Don't forget to sign your posts. --User:Wahoofive 16:47, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC) == shiny happy people == Let me see if I got the article right. Does REM's "Shiny Happy People" have different time signatures for the violin intro and bridges, and the rest of the song? What would these ts be? ==68.50.100.146== I somehow doubt that Kelly Clarkson and Lindsay Lohan use irregular time signatures. User:Hyacinth 20:10, 4 May 2005 (UTC) == OutKast's Hey Ya! == Is this song really in 11/4? I disagree. To my mind it's three bars of 4/4, one bar of 2/4 and two bars of 4/4. The total of 22 crotchets could be interpreted as 11/4, but to suggested that each chord cycle is just two bars seems utterly fallacious. --User:HighHopes 19:11, 15 May 2005 (UTC) * [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6596025/sort/rank?pageid=rs.RS500&pageregion=blob This was my source] for putting that in, but Rolling Stone has been wrong before. But there's definitely something weird about the time signature for that song, and it's probably the most recent popular song with an unusual time signature, it would be good to put something about it in here. I just noticed List of works in irregular time signatures -- what's the difference between that list and the one on this page? They seem to have almost entirely the same items. --User:Arcadian 13:15, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC) **It looks as if User:Hyacinth created that on May 24 in response to the discussion below, intending to make it just a link from this page, but didn't complete the process. I'd support following through on that, since it isn't that helpful on this page, and all the disputed ones can be disputed there. (P.S. I'd consider a Rolling Stone article sufficient documentation.) —User:Wahoofive (User talk:Wahoofive) 18:05, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC) ***Okay, I've followed up and done that. --User:Arcadian 18:25, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC) == Article is really difficult to understand == This article is really really dense and tough to read for someone unfamiliar with music theory like me. Just saying. User:Scott Ritchie 02:38, 5 May 2005 (UTC) :Time signatures might be hard to understand at all without some rudimentary grasp of basic theory concepts (measures/note values/etc)... User:TrbleClef 08:20, 5 May 2005 (UTC) I guess the introduction could stand to have some more links. Here was what I was thinking when I read it again: ''The time signature (also known as "meter signature") is a notational device used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each bar and which note value (minim, crotchet, quaver, and so on) constitutes one beat. Time signatures may indicate meter, but do not determine it."'' :"beats in each bar" - what does that mean? What is a note value? ''Most time signatures comprise two numbers, one above the other. In text (as in this article), time signatures may be written in the manner of a fraction: the example shown at right can be written 3/4.'' :What do these two numbers mean? What's the difference between the top and bottom? ''In a musical score, the time signature appears at the beginning of the piece, immediately following the key signature (or immediately following the clef if there is no key signature). A mid-score time signature, usually immediately following a barline, indicates a change of meter." '' :This sentence makes sense - while I don't quite get what it means (can't read music), I do know where to look for more information. This isn't the case with the first two sentences - I got stumped and confused about where to learn more. User:Scott Ritchie 22:42, 10 May 2005 (UTC) ::Regarding note value, that article is linked. Would that not be an appropriate place to learn about note value if one doesn't already know them? Regarding the top/bottom number issue, that is discussed farther down in the article because the numbers mean different things in simple and complex meters. I agree that it is a bit unobvious, though. ::Again, without some ''basic'' theory knowledge it is hard to quickly understand the concepts of the time signature... but that's why those articles are linked, right? User:TrbleClef 23:09, 10 May 2005 (UTC) Speaking as another non-musician, I'd find it really helpful to hear examples. Reading the linked articles made the theory clearer, but didn't help me to understand what this really means. This is especially true for sections that talk about theoretically equivalent time signatures that are practically different (e.g., the "rewriting meters" section). It need not be anything fancy; I'm sure a musician explaining this in person would do a little humming or table-thumping, and that would be plenty for me. --User:William Pietri 17:17, 24 May 2005 (UTC) :Say, I mentioned my befuddlement on this topic to my girlfiend, who indeed did do some humming and knee-thumping. She also found [http://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=374 this article], which has some nice examples, which made things a lot clearer to me. --User:William Pietri 05:47, 28 May 2005 (UTC) ::It's a little clearer, perhaps, but also inaccurate. User:TrbleClef 06:12, 28 May 2005 (UTC) == Restricting the list of examples == The list of examples is getting ridiculous, not to mention controversial. There's no use in listing songs when people disagree on what meter they are in, like some examples mentioned above — that doesn't help the Wikipedia:Make articles useful for readers understand anything; furthermore, a million examples isn't that useful. Anyway, this article is about time signatures, a written notation, not Metre (music). I propose that the only examples allowed are those with printed sheet music available showing the time signature. This would keep Dave Brubeck and the classical-music examples, for sure, and probably Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull and Sting. Sound-files of excerpts might be useful. —User:Wahoofive (User talk:Wahoofive) 21:03, 15 May 2005 (UTC) :Are you proposing that Wikipedia:Cite sources? User:Hyacinth 23:17, 24 May 2005 (UTC)
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Time signature
The time signature (also known as "metre (music) signature") is a notational device used in Western culture musical notation to specify how many beat (music)s are in each bar (music) and which note value (minim, crotchet, quaver, and so on) constitutes one beat. Time signatures may indicate meter, but do not determine it. Most time signatures comprise two numbers, one above the other. In text (as in this article), time signatures may be written in the manner of a vulgar fraction: the example shown at right can be written 3/4. In a musical score, the time signature appears at the beginning of the piece, immediately following the key signature (or immediately following the clef if there is no key signature). A mid-score time signature, usually immediately following a barline, indicates a change of meter. ==Basic time signatures== Time signatures can be "simple" or "compound". In simple time signatures, the upper number indicates how many beat (music)s there are in a bar (music), and the lower number indicates the length of that beat. The most common simple time signatures are 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4. Compound time signatures are distinguished by a top number which is 6 or above and a multiple of three (most commonly 6, 9, or 12). Unlike simple time signatures, the upper and lower numbers in compound time signatures do not represent the number of beats per measure and the duration of the beat. To determine the number of beats per measure for a compound time signature, divide the upper number by three. For example, in 6/8, there are 2 beats per measure (because 6 divided by 3 equals 2). The duration of the beat (or the "beat unit") in compound time is three times the duration represented by the lower number. For example, in 6/8, the beat unit is a dotted quarter-note (because three times the value of an eighth-note is a dotted quarter-note). In compound time, the beat unit is always a dotted value. In simple time, the beat unit is always an undotted value. For all meters, the first beat (the "downbeat") is stressed; in time signatures with four groups in the bar (such as 4/4 and 12/8), the third beat is also stressed, though to a lesser degree. This gives a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed beats. In some cases, the letter C (common time) is used in place of the 4/4 time signature. A similar C with a vertical line through it can be used in place of 2/2, indicating alla breve (cut time) for a fast duple meter. Pieces with two beats to the bar, such as 2/4 or 6/8, are said to be in ''duple'' meter. Similarly, music with three beats to the bar (such as 3/2 or 9/8) is in ''triple'' meter. Some people also label music with four beats to the bar as ''quadruple'' meter, while some consider it as simply two duples. The latter is more consistent with the above duple/triple and simple/compound labelling system, as any other division above triple, such as quintuple, is considered as duple+triple (12123) or triple+duple (12312), depending on the accents in the musical example. However, in some music a quintuple meter, five beats per measure, may be treated and perceived as one unit of five, especially at faster tempos. Seven beats per measure would be ''septuple'' meter. These names can be combined with the ''simple'' and ''compound'' terms, so that 3/4 time can be described as ''simple triple'', 6/8 as ''compound duple'' and so on. ===Rewriting meters=== There is a sense in which ''all'' simple triple time signatures, be they 3/8, 3/4, 3/2 or anything else, and all compound duple times, such as 6/8, 6/16 and so on, are equivalent – a piece in 3/4 can be easily rewritten in 3/8 simply by halving the length of the notes. Sometimes, the choice of base note is simply down to tradition: the minuet, for example, is generally written in 3/4, and though examples in 3/8 do exist, a minuet in 3/2 would be highly unconventional. At other times, the choice of bottom note can give subtle hints as to the character of the music: for example, time signatures with a longer bass-note (such as 3/2) can be used for pieces in a quick tempo to convey a sense of the time flying by. This may be counter-intuitive, but in the Baroque music and Classical period music periods, typically meters with long note values (such as 3/2) were fast tempos, while slow movements were typically written with the eighth note as the beat. Similarly, a piece in 2/4 can often sound like it is in 4/4 (or vice versa) and a piece in 3/4 can sound like it is in 6/8 or 12/8 time, particularly if the former is played quickly or the latter slowly. The distinction may be a matter of notation. ===Most common time signatures=== * 4/4 or C – common time; very common in classical music; the norm in rock, jazz, country, and bluegrass music, and most modern pop music or dance music * 2/2 or ¢ – cut time, used for march (music)es * 4/2 – alla breve * 2/4 – used for Polka or March (music) * 3/4 – used for waltzes, minuets, scherzo, and country & western ballads. Some rare examples of 3/4 in rock songs include "Manic Depression" by Jimi Hendrix, the middle section of the instrumental "Orion" by Metallica, the first section of "In That Quiet Earth" by Genesis (band), the instrumental "Hell's Kitchen" by Dream Theater, and "The Crimson Sunset", part VII of the epic A Change of Seasons by the same band. (The sudden time change from 12/8 to 3/4 creates an eerie sensation of "time running out".) * 6/8 – used for jig, fast Waltz or March, music * 9/8 – indicates "compound triple time" * 12/8 – common in blues and doo-wop ==Irregular meter time signatures== [[Image:Take five intro.gif|right|frame|The piano intro to "Take Five" – Media:Dave_Brubeck_Quartet,_The-Time_Out-Take_Five-head.ogg]] These include signatures whose upper notes are 5, 7, or other numbers other than those discussed above. Also called ''asymmetric meters''. Although these more complex meters are common in non-Western music, they didn't appear in Western music until the late 19th century; the third movement of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony was one of the earliest examples. The jazz composition "Take Five", written in 5/4 time, was one of a number of irregular-meter experiments of The Dave Brubeck Quartet, which also sported compositions in 11/4, 7/4, and 9/8 (expressed as 2+2+2+3/8). ==Mixed meters== While time signatures usually express a regular pattern of beat stresses continuing through a piece (or at least a section), sometimes composers place a different time signature at the beginning of each bar, resulting in music with an extremely irregular rhythmic feel. In this case the time signatures are an aid to the performers, not an indication of Meter (music). : Burt Bacharach's rhythmically exciting song "Promises, Promises" likewise features a constantly changing meter. Igor Stravinsky's ''The Rite of Spring'' is famous for its "savage" rhythms: : Some composers (and even Hymnals) simply omit the time signature in such cases. Many songs in Bertolt Brecht's plays also follow this convention. If two time signatures alternate repeatedly, sometimes the two signatures will be placed together at the beginning of the piece or section, as in this example, the theme from West Side Story: : ==Variations== To indicate more complex patterns of stresses, such as additive rhythms, more complex time signatures can be used. For example, the signature : which can be written ''3+2+3/8'', means that the first of a group of three quavers (eighth notes) is to be stressed, then the first of a group of two, then first of a group of three again. The stress pattern is usually counted as ''one''-two-three-''one''-two-''one''-two-three, italics indicating stresses. This kind of time signature is commonly used to notate folk and non-Western types of music. In classical music, Bla Bartk and Olivier Messiaen are examples of composers who have used such time signatures. Some composers have used fractional beats; for example, the time signature (2 1/2)/4 appears in Carlos Chvez's Sonata No. 3 (1928) IV, m. 1. Music educator Carl Orff proposed replacing the lower number of the time signature with the actual note value, as shown at right. This system eliminates the need for compound time signatures (described above), which are confusing to beginners. While this notation has not been adopted by music publishers generally (except in Orff's own compositions), it is used extensively in music education textbooks. Another option for dealing with mixed meters is to extend the barline where the change is to take place above the top instrument's line and write the time signature there once, thus saving the ink that would've been spent writing it in each instrument's staff. Henryk Gorecki's ''Beatus Vir'' does this. A few composers of orchestral music who write using mixed meters write very long, thin numbers for their time signatures rather than the standard method of writing it on each staff; this is an aid to the conductor, who can see them more easily. ==Early music usage== ===Mensural time signatures=== In the 13th through 16th centuries, a period in which mensural notation was used, there were four basic time signatures, which determined the proportion between the two main units of rhythm. There were no bar (music) or barlines in music of this period; these signs, the ancestors of modern time signatures, indicate the ratio of duration between different note values. The relation between the breve and the semibreve was called tempus, and the relation between the semibreve and the minim was called prolatio. Unlike modern notation, the duration ratios between these different values was not always 2:1; it could be either 2:1 or 3:1, and that is what these mensural signatures indicated. A ratio of 3:1 was called ''perfect'', perhaps a reference to the Trinity, and a ratio of 2:1 was called ''imperfect''. A circle used as a time signature indicated ''tempus perfectum'' (a circle being a symbol of perfection), while an incomplete circle, resembling a letter C, indicated ''tempus imperfectum''. Assuming the breve to be a beat, this corresponds to the modern concepts of Metre (music) and Metre (music), respectively. In either case, a dot in the center indicated ''prolatio perfectum'' while the absence of such a dot indicated ''prolatio imperfectum'', corresponding to Metre (music) and Metre (music). A rough equivalence of these signs to modern meters would be: * corresponds to 9/8 meter * corresponds to 3/4 meter * corresponds to 6/8 meter * corresponds to 2/4 meter N.B. in modern compound meters the beat is a dotted note value, such as a dotted quarter, because the ratios of the modern note value hierarchy are always 2:1. Dotted notes were never used in this way in the mensural period; the main beat unit was always a simple (undotted) note value. ===Proportions=== Another set of signs in mensural notation specified the metric proportions of one section to another, similar to a metric modulation. A few common signs are shown: * 1:2 proportion (twice as fast) * 1:3 proportion (three times as fast) * 2:3 proportion (similar to triplets) Often the ratio was expressed as two numbers, one above the other, looking similar to a modern time signature, although it could have values such as 4/3, which a time signature could not. There is still controversy regarding the meaning of some proportional signs, and they may not have been used consistently from one place or century to another. In addition, certain composers delighted in creating "puzzle" compositions which were intentionally difficult to decipher. In particular, when the sign was encountered, the tactus (beat) changed from the usual semibreve to the breve, a circumstance called ''alla breve''. This term has been sustained to the present day, and although now it means the beat is a minim (half note), in contradiction to the literal meaning of the phrase, it still indicates that the beat has changed to a longer note value. In the 17th century, additional signs such as also indicated proportions like this. ==See also== * List of works in irregular time signatures ==External links== * [http://www3.clearlight.com/~acsa/rhythm.htm Grateful Dead songs with unusual time signatures] (Grateful Dead) * [http://www.doctornerve.org/nerve/pages/scorbook.shtml Doctor Nerve: Skin Scorebook] featuring a score which uses unusual time signatures (Nick Didkovsky) Musical notation
Time signature
Removed the following from this page: :There is also a cryptography technique called a one-time signature scheme or protocol. ---- I am hesitent to edit here since I don't know enough about the subject, but I believe that this article (as well as metre (music), beat (music) and music notation) fail to mention the whole point of time signatures: that some beats are to be stressed more than others. If all beats were stressed the same, every 3/4 piece could be transformed into a 4/4 piece sounding exactly the same; only the musical notation would look different. But in a 4/4 piece, the beats are emphasized like this: ONE two Three four ONE two Three four,... (with Three being less emphasized than ONE but more than two and four), while in 3/4 we emphasize ONE two three ONE two three ... and in 2/4 we emphasize ONE two ONE two ONE two... and in 6/8 ONE two three Four five six ONE two three Four five six... :Rather than to say that different beats are "stressed" as determined by time signature (which seems to me to go too far), I'd say that the meter ''reflects'' the harmonic rhythm of the piece; it is an ''a posteriori'' fact of the music, not ''a priori''. Though we hear a slight extra emphasis on the beats appropriate to the meter, this is a consequence of the harmonic rhythm (assuming no specific articulation is marked in the score)--how mechanical and silly music would sound if we consciously emphasized beats just because the meter seemed to call for it, even a little bit! The music itself carries emphasis; the performer shouldn't worry about it unless conscious emphasis is specifically called for in the score. -John, music student Is it correct that every 2/4 piece can be converted into an equivalent 2/2 piece? If my understanding is correct, this should be added to the article. User:AxelBoldt 15:34, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC) :You're quite right, and I've added a quick mention of stressed and unstressed beats into the article. And yes, every piece in 2/4 can be rewritten into 2/2, though there's a subtle difference implied between the two - I suppose that's to be added in the future. I might have a look at going over this and related articles sometime (they could certainly do with rewriting for clarity). --User:Camembert I've had a go at rewriting the page - I think it's better, but if others feel it's worse, revert away. One of the problems with the subject, it seems to me, is that it's so bound up with metre and beat and so on that it's difficult to write individual articles on each subject. Anyway, there it is. --User:Camembert ---- I wonder if this could do with breaking up into headings and perhaps some subtle restructuring. (Might add this to my list of things to do if nobody else wants to dive in and do it, or indeed has any objections.) User:Randywombat 23:12, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC) ---- I bring this up here in case I make the change erroneously - it is listed in the article *(5+6)/4 -- Pictures at an Exhibition theme by Modest Mussorgsky: But the image below it has one bar in 5/4 and the other in 6/4, which doesn't make the entire bar in 5+6/4. This should be thus removed, or reworded, correct? User:Dysprosia 06:59, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC) :How's 5/4+6/4 look? User:Hyacinth :: I was under the impression, though, that the time signature covered one bar only? I haven't seen a signature like 5/4+6/4 before, and such a signature isn't mentioned in the article - could we possibly get a description of the meaning of that form signature? User:Dysprosia 21:15, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC) ::: Ah, that would be because it is not a time signature but two. However, I know realize that any reasonable person looking at that would assume it to be one. Given that it only needs a short explination that this is one of those pieces that uses two (or more/alternating?) time signatures. User:Hyacinth 21:40, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC) == Meter vs. Time Signature == Much of this material seems to duplicate what's in the article on Metre (music). Although musicians use the terms ''Meter'' and ''Time signature'' pretty much interchangeably, in an encyclopedia we should take more care to use terms precisely. I propose that this article should focus exclusively on the notational aspects of time signature (perhaps expanded to include Renaissance indications of metric proportions, and give notated examples of things like 3+2/8 and extra-long signatures) and move whatever seems appropriate to the Meter article. I'd move to the Meter article: * examples of various time signature (really meters) * "standard time signatures" (again, really meters) * all discussion of duple/triple, simple/compound (some of this is already present in the Meter article). :User:Wahoofive 19:43, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Disagree. This article should be useful and informative, not scientifically succinct. User:Hyacinth 21:26, 8 Mar 2005 (UTC) :I think that if you moved the examples of various and standard time signatures to metre (music) you would have someone at Talk:Metre (music) saying they belong back in "Time signature". I think this article requires a short explination of what time signatures indicate (duple/triple & simple/compound) with a link to a more full explination at "Metre (music)". User:Hyacinth 17:32, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) Still could use expansion for Renaissance versions, with links to topics such as Mensuration (music), Proportions (music), and the like. User:Wahoofive 07:03, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) :That sounds great. User:Hyacinth 17:32, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Page revision == I'm planning to reorganize this page into several sections, including * standard time signatures * irregular time signatures * mixed meters * modern innovations (including things like 3+2+3, Orff notation) * use in early music (I'm not really an expert in this so it will be more of a stub) Examples of each would go under those categories. I have several more graphics, so I'd like Hyacinth to clarify what he meant (on my personal comments page) by the 3+2+3/8 one needing to be more "clear." Do you mean technically (in a computer-graphic sense) or in terms of content? User:Wahoofive 00:57, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) Okay, revision accomplished. Still needs some work. I hate using the phrase "irregular time signatures" but "irregular meters" sounds out-of-place in an article on time signatures. I removed the following: :In 20th century classical music, in styles such as serialism and minimalism, the time signature is often avoided entirely (the key signature is also frequently omitted). An underlying time signature or key may be present, but it may be too notationally complex or too redundant to indicate. In the music of many cultures, time is maintained by a drum or other percussion instrument. Examples of this can be found in Indian classical music (see Indian music) and gamelan music, both of which often rely on oral tradition to pass down popular songs (although both utilize an idiosyncratic rhythmic notation). I included a new sentence under "mixed meters" about omitting time signatures, but that's not really related to serialism or minimalism; I'm familir with both genres and they generally use standard time signatures. The other stuff seems off-topic, but worth saving. Also removed: :Other unusual meters exist. Dave Brubeck is well known for his employment of unusual time signatures (see above); Don Ellis consistently explored this area also. Progressive rock, progressive metal, and modal jazz often employ unusual time signatures. The group Stereolab have made extensive use of unusual time signatures, as have Nels Cline and Nick Didkovsky's Doctor Nerve. In electronic music, Venetian Snares uses 7/4 and 5/4 almost exclusively. There are already too many examples. User:Wahoofive 22:13, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Nice work! Suggestions, of course: the image of various time signatures, Image:Common time signatures.gif, should seperate 4/4 & C and 2/2 & . Otherwise an ignorant reader would assume they are one thing (notated 4/4C and 2/2) or alternate as below in Image:Alternating_time_signatures.gif. See Wikipedia:Section and Wikipedia:Image copyright tags. User:Hyacinth 22:57, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) Okay. I'm also going to shorten the measures so this graphic is narrower. Also, I'm going to change the Orff example so one of them has a dotted note on the bottom, since the main advantage of the Orff notation is the elimination of "complex" signatures. User:Wahoofive 06:03, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Bottom number == I always thought that the bottom number of a time signature has to be a power of 2, but 84 is not a power of 2 and towards the bottom of this article there is written music with a time signature that has 84 as its bottom number. Where did this come from?? User:Georgia guy 22:58, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Read the text: "If two time signatures alternate repeatedly, sometimes the two signatures will be placed together at the beginning of the piece or section." I don't think this is really how it looks, but the explination was right there! User:Hyacinth 23:00, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::I'll move the signatures a little further apart for clarity. User:Wahoofive 06:04, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Orff signatures == The section on Carl Orff time signatures (with a note instead of a number to represent the basic unit) states that these signatures eliminate the need for 'complex' time signatures. Shouldn't that word be 'compound'? Orff signatures enable rewriting compound signatures like 6/8 with 2/dotted-quarter. :Fixed. Don't forget to sign your posts. --User:Wahoofive 16:47, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC) == shiny happy people == Let me see if I got the article right. Does REM's "Shiny Happy People" have different time signatures for the violin intro and bridges, and the rest of the song? What would these ts be? ==68.50.100.146== I somehow doubt that Kelly Clarkson and Lindsay Lohan use irregular time signatures. User:Hyacinth 20:10, 4 May 2005 (UTC) == OutKast's Hey Ya! == Is this song really in 11/4? I disagree. To my mind it's three bars of 4/4, one bar of 2/4 and two bars of 4/4. The total of 22 crotchets could be interpreted as 11/4, but to suggested that each chord cycle is just two bars seems utterly fallacious. --User:HighHopes 19:11, 15 May 2005 (UTC) * [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6596025/sort/rank?pageid=rs.RS500&pageregion=blob This was my source] for putting that in, but Rolling Stone has been wrong before. But there's definitely something weird about the time signature for that song, and it's probably the most recent popular song with an unusual time signature, it would be good to put something about it in here. I just noticed List of works in irregular time signatures -- what's the difference between that list and the one on this page? They seem to have almost entirely the same items. --User:Arcadian 13:15, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC) **It looks as if User:Hyacinth created that on May 24 in response to the discussion below, intending to make it just a link from this page, but didn't complete the process. I'd support following through on that, since it isn't that helpful on this page, and all the disputed ones can be disputed there. (P.S. I'd consider a Rolling Stone article sufficient documentation.) —User:Wahoofive (User talk:Wahoofive) 18:05, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC) ***Okay, I've followed up and done that. --User:Arcadian 18:25, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC) == Article is really difficult to understand == This article is really really dense and tough to read for someone unfamiliar with music theory like me. Just saying. User:Scott Ritchie 02:38, 5 May 2005 (UTC) :Time signatures might be hard to understand at all without some rudimentary grasp of basic theory concepts (measures/note values/etc)... User:TrbleClef 08:20, 5 May 2005 (UTC) I guess the introduction could stand to have some more links. Here was what I was thinking when I read it again: ''The time signature (also known as "meter signature") is a notational device used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each bar and which note value (minim, crotchet, quaver, and so on) constitutes one beat. Time signatures may indicate meter, but do not determine it."'' :"beats in each bar" - what does that mean? What is a note value? ''Most time signatures comprise two numbers, one above the other. In text (as in this article), time signatures may be written in the manner of a fraction: the example shown at right can be written 3/4.'' :What do these two numbers mean? What's the difference between the top and bottom? ''In a musical score, the time signature appears at the beginning of the piece, immediately following the key signature (or immediately following the clef if there is no key signature). A mid-score time signature, usually immediately following a barline, indicates a change of meter." '' :This sentence makes sense - while I don't quite get what it means (can't read music), I do know where to look for more information. This isn't the case with the first two sentences - I got stumped and confused about where to learn more. User:Scott Ritchie 22:42, 10 May 2005 (UTC) ::Regarding note value, that article is linked. Would that not be an appropriate place to learn about note value if one doesn't already know them? Regarding the top/bottom number issue, that is discussed farther down in the article because the numbers mean different things in simple and complex meters. I agree that it is a bit unobvious, though. ::Again, without some ''basic'' theory knowledge it is hard to quickly understand the concepts of the time signature... but that's why those articles are linked, right? User:TrbleClef 23:09, 10 May 2005 (UTC) Speaking as another non-musician, I'd find it really helpful to hear examples. Reading the linked articles made the theory clearer, but didn't help me to understand what this really means. This is especially true for sections that talk about theoretically equivalent time signatures that are practically different (e.g., the "rewriting meters" section). It need not be anything fancy; I'm sure a musician explaining this in person would do a little humming or table-thumping, and that would be plenty for me. --User:William Pietri 17:17, 24 May 2005 (UTC) :Say, I mentioned my befuddlement on this topic to my girlfiend, who indeed did do some humming and knee-thumping. She also found [http://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=374 this article], which has some nice examples, which made things a lot clearer to me. --User:William Pietri 05:47, 28 May 2005 (UTC) ::It's a little clearer, perhaps, but also inaccurate. User:TrbleClef 06:12, 28 May 2005 (UTC) == Restricting the list of examples == The list of examples is getting ridiculous, not to mention controversial. There's no use in listing songs when people disagree on what meter they are in, like some examples mentioned above — that doesn't help the Wikipedia:Make articles useful for readers understand anything; furthermore, a million examples isn't that useful. Anyway, this article is about time signatures, a written notation, not Metre (music). I propose that the only examples allowed are those with printed sheet music available showing the time signature. This would keep Dave Brubeck and the classical-music examples, for sure, and probably Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull and Sting. Sound-files of excerpts might be useful. —User:Wahoofive (User talk:Wahoofive) 21:03, 15 May 2005 (UTC) :Are you proposing that Wikipedia:Cite sources? User:Hyacinth 23:17, 24 May 2005 (UTC)
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