Time signature
Specification of beats in a musical bar/measure / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A time signature (also known as meter signature,[1] metre signature,[2] and measure signature)[3] is a convention in Western music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type are contained in each measure (bar). The time signature indicates the meter of a musical movement at the bar level.
![\n{ \\key c \\major \\time 3/4 \\relative c' { f a c } }\n](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/j/p/jpgp2cbohz6q3l4wfmd90redjj7qoq4/jpgp2cbo.png)
4 time signature. The time signature indicates that there are three quarter notes (crotchets) per measure (bar).
In a music score the time signature appears as two stacked numerals, such as 4
4 (spoken as four–four time), or a time symbol, such as (spoken as common time). It immediately follows the key signature (or if there is no key signature, the clef symbol). A mid-score time signature, usually immediately following a barline, indicates a change of meter.
Most time signatures are either simple (the note values are grouped in pairs, like 2
4, 3
4, and 4
4), or compound (grouped in threes, like 6
8, 9
8, and 12
8). Less common signatures indicate complex, mixed, additive, and irrational meters.
![\n{ \n \\override Score.SpacingSpanner.strict-note-spacing = ##t\n \\set Score.proportionalNotationDuration = #(ly:make-moment 1/1)\n \\key c \\major \n \\relative c' { \n \\numericTimeSignature \\time 4/4 s1\n \\defaultTimeSignature \\time 4/4 s1\n \\numericTimeSignature \\time 2/2 s1\n \\defaultTimeSignature \\time 2/2 s1\n \\time 2/4 s2\n \\time 3/4 s2.\n \\time 6/8 s2.\n} }\n](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/n/a/na0cpncjvpfh2ndixuzvnldc9vc790r/na0cpncj.png)
4, also known as common time (
![common time](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Commontime.svg/11px-Commontime.svg.png)
2, alla breve, also known as cut time or cut-common time (
![cut time](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Allabreve.svg/11px-Allabreve.svg.png)
4; 3
4; and 6
8