Compound time signatures include 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8. Simple time signatures include 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4.Ĭompound time signatures typically have a bottom number of 8 and can be counted “one-and-a two-and-a” etc. Simple time signatures typically have a bottom number of “4” and can be counter “one-and two-and” etc. Sticking with our regular time signatures for now, we might look at the bottom number in a time signature to determine if the beats are subdivided into two or three (a quarter note or a dotted quarter note). Irregular time signatures are inherently non-isochronal, as they cannot be divided into equal beat groupings. In-fact our western programmed brains are really good at counting to two and three, possibly why even with a time signature like 7/4 we maybe subdivide that into groups of 2s and 3s. Of course mathematicians would argue 2 and 3 are prime numbers, but from a practical point, musical time is built up on 2s and 3s. Irregular time signatures would be any prime number larger than 4, so your 5/4s, 7/4s, 11/8s, 13/8 and so on.

We could call the grouping of the beats here isochronal, meaning the pulses are grouped regularly (although we will look at at least one example in 9/8 where this is not the case). Regular time signatures make up the vast majority of the examples we’ll look at today. I’d hesitate to add 15 to this list, even though we could hear 15 as five groups of three, simply because it’s not all that common. These are numbers that are multiples of 2 and 3. Regular covers things like 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 and 12. The first consideration is weather or not the number of beats is regular or irregular. In each example you’ll no doubt be able to find counter examples where the grouping is non-standard, but as a broad rule of thumb we can divide time signatures up in several ways: Regular or irregular? Put simply the top number determines how many beats there are in a bar and the bottom number determines weather or not the meter is simple or compound, i.e how the beats are divided. Time signatures are compiled of two numbers, a top number and a bottom number. Where possible I’m trying to keep the examples contemporary, but that can be harder with certain time signatures (2/4 and 9/8, I’m looking at you!). The article will serve as a one stop shop for revising all the time signatures and their common application. Additionally there can be specific examples of harder to hear time signatures (for example the difference between 3/4 and 6/8). As the vast majority of popular music including dance/EDM, hip hop, rock, pop, soul, country etc is in 4/4 time, it can often be tricky for people to compile examples of a range of different time signatures. As part of a module I’m teaching at the moment I’m compiling Spotify playlists for a range of different time signatures.

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