Time signature, in musical notation, sign that indicates the metre of a composition. Most time signatures consist of two vertically aligned numbers, such as Time signature showing a 2 on top of a 2., Time signature showing a 3 on top of a 4., Time signature showing a 6 on top of a 8., and Time signature showing an 11 on top of a 16.. In simple time, the top figure reflects the number of beats in each measure, or metrical unit; the bottom figure indicates the note value that receives one beat (here, respectively, half note, quarter note, eighth note, and sixteenth note). By comparison, compound metres (e.g., duple, as in 6/8 or 6/16, or triple, as in 9/8) have time signatures that indicate the number of beats to be a multiple of three. When measures contain an uneven number of beats falling regularly into two subgroups, the division may be indicated as, for instance, Time signature showing 3 plus 4 on top of a 4. instead of Time signature showing a 7 on top of a 4.
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Time signature, in musical notation, sign that indicates the metre of a composition. Most time signatures consist of two vertically aligned numbers, such as Time signature showing a 2 on top of a 2., Time signature showing a 3 on top of a 4., Time signature showing a 6 on top of a 8., and Time signature showing an 11 on top of a 16.. In simple time, the top figure reflects the number of beats in each measure, or metrical unit; the bottom figure indicates the note value that receives one beat (here, respectively, half note, quarter note, eighth note, and sixteenth note). By comparison, compound metres (e.g., duple, as in 6/8 or 6/16, or triple, as in 9/8) have time signatures that indicate the number of beats to be a multiple of three. When measures contain an uneven number of beats falling regularly into two subgroups, the division may be indicated as, for instance, Time signature showing 3 plus 4 on top of a 4. instead of Time signature showing a 7 on top of a 4.
Examples:
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