Time Signatures – 4/4, 3/4, 2/4

In the last lesson we learned about note lengths. In this lesson we will learn how to count rhythm using time signatures and the notes from the previous lesson.

Time signatures tell us how many beats are in a measure. Measures are separated by lines:

The time signature comes after the clef. The top number tells us how many beats per measure. The bottom note tells us what kind of note gets the beat. Since a 4 is on the bottom, the beat lasts for a quarter (1/4) note.

Counting

Since the beat is a quarter note in these time signatures, we know many beats each note lasts. In the last lesson, we saw how long each note is in comparison to one another. This tells us how many beats each type of note gets:

Remember, we count based on what note gets the beat. Later we will look at other time signatures where a different kind of note gets the beat. The above diagram only applies to time signatures where a quarter note gets the beat.

4/4 Time

In 4/4 time signatures, the top number is 4, which means there are 4 beats per measure. The bottom number is 4, which tells us that a quarter note gets the beat. Each measure lasts for the length of 4 quarter notes. These can be divided several different ways as long as it is the equivalent of 4 quarter notes.

We count 1 2 3 4 to keep rhythm.

Remember the diagram from the previous section on counting. Each half note lasts for 2 beats and the whole note lasts for 4 beats. Each quarter note lasts for a beat.

Eighth notes are half a beat, so we add + (and) in between beats to divide them in half. We count 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + when we have eighth notes.

When an eighth note lands on a beat, the next note is counted on the +. A combination of + plus any number equals one beat.

3/4 Time

This time signature has 3 beats and every beat is a quarter note. The first beat is emphasized. This is the typical waltz rhythm. The beats can be divided in different ways:

We count 1 2 3 for each measure, emphasizing the first beat. We use + (and) for notes that land in between the beats.

2/4 Time

This time signature has 2 beats per measure and each beat is a quarter note. This is typical marching rhythm, where every first beat is emphasized. We count up to 2 for each measure:

Practice: Download the free Time Signatures Worksheet:

Time Signatures Worksheet #1

Practice counting in 4/4, 3/4, and 2/4 rhythm!

1 page worksheet + answer key

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Next: Counting Rests