Time Signatures for Dummies?

Question

Hi guys, I'm trying to teach myself drums but I am having trouble with time signatures. I am just having trouble understanding what they are and was wondering if someone would mind breaking it down into small easy to understand words for someone who knows zip about music.

I know 4/4 keeps being mentioned on my site that I am using and apparently it means 4 beats per measure but I am not sure what any of that is. How much is a measure? And is a beat measured by a metronome?

Like I said I don't know anything about music XD

Answer 1

Odd time signatures are pretty rare. The main ones you'll encounter are 4/4, 2/4 & 3/4.



If you're JUST learning about music, you really shouldn't worry about anything more advanced, unless you have unrealistically high musical goals for yourself.



This gives a basic understanding of time signatures --

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_signature#Simple_time_signatures

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_signature



If you find the need to learn obscure time signatures, then have a look at these sites --

http://gryffonius.hubpages.com/hub/Odd-Time-Signatures-Made-Easy

http://dkap.info/oddtime.php

http://store.drumbum.com/drums/odd-time-signatures-learning.htm

http://www.drumdojo.com/oddtimes.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_works_in_unusual_time_signatures



Or try this (and related pages) --

http://bouncemetronome.com/video-resources/odd-time



If you're just learning, I'd worry more about rudiments --

http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments.php



And invest in a metronome (VERY IMPORTANT! See source).



While you're at it, try understanding the time signatures within this --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCweFfcV7Xo

Answer 2

lets use 4/4 for an example, being that its the most popular time signature and the 4/4 rock beat is the beat that most drummers will learn first.



the number on the bottom represents how many beats there are in a measure. a measure by itself doesnt mean anything... its simply a way to keep track on time. the top number represents which note gets the beat. so 4/4 means 4 beats to a measure, and the quarter note gets the beat. so for your basic rock beat, the bass drum will be on beats 1 and 3, while the snare is on beats 2 and 4. meanwhile, the hihat is keeping steady time playing eighth notes. so maybe to make things easier, try counting in your head as youre playing. you will count "1...2...3...4..." and every time to say 1 or 3, you play the bass and 2 and 4 for snare. now, try counting again but add a "and" in between the beats. "1..+..2..+..3..+..4..+.." youre simply breaking the measure up into 8 beats instead of 4. the measure remains the same length, your just dividing it up into eighths instead of quarters.



not sure if this was a good explanation.... i know its hard to explain without being there in person and having to use only words with no pictures or diagrams. looks like another answer had a lot of links though. id imagine youtube would have several videos clearing this up as well.



good luck!

Answer 3

6/8 (like 9/8 or 12/8) is a compound measure. Divide the top number by 3 to get the number of beats. Compound meters have subdivisions of 3 per beat, where simple meters (2/8, 3/2, 4/4) have subdivisions of 2 per beat. 6/8 has 2 beats a measure. Each beat is a dotted 1/4 note with a subdivision of three 1/8 notes. Its simple, duple counterpart… 2/4 has 2 beats a measrue. Each beat is a 1/4 note with a subdivision of two 1/8 notes. The triple meters are anything with a 3 (simple) or 9 (compound) on top (3/8, 3/4, 9/8, 9/16, etc.). The quadruple meters are anything with a 4 (simple) or 12 (compound) on top (4/2, 4/4, 12/8, etc.) Simple meter signatures indicate the number of beats and the value of each beat: 4/4 = four 1/4 notes; 2/8 = two 1/8 notes; 3/16 = three 1/16 notes Compound meter signatures indicate the subdivision values within each measure as it would be impractical and confusing to notate the value of a dotted value beat. 6/8 makes more sense than attempting say, 2/4.5 (two dotted quarter notes per bar).

Answer 4

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RE:

Time Signatures for Dummies?

Hi guys, I'm trying to teach myself drums but I am having trouble with time signatures. I am just having trouble understanding what they are and was wondering if someone would mind breaking it down into small easy to understand words for someone who knows zip about music.



I know 4/4 keeps...