Time Signatures and the Beat
A time signature helps organise beats into bars. Before setting BPM, check the note value used as the beat.
Stopped
Quarter note
4/4 · 4 quarter-note beats
Range 20–300. BPM means beats per minute for the note unit beside the number.
Change pending. Change takes effect at the next bar.
Choose a time signature
Hear a grouping
Selecting an example sets the tempo, beat unit and grouping. It does not start the click. Press Start when you want to hear it. A change during playback waits until the next bar.
Beat and sound
Short tick with a noise attack.
Count simple metres
In 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, a quarter note (crotchet) is the beat unit. The top number tells you how many such beats fit in a bar.
| Time signature | Quarter-note beats per bar | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 2/4 | 2 | 1, 2 |
| 3/4 | 3 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 4/4 | 4 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
Listen for the start of each bar without making every other beat disappear. A bar accent is a reference point, not a requirement to play every phrase with the same stress.
Feel 6/8 in two
6/8 contains six eighth notes (quavers) per bar, usually grouped into two dotted-quarter beats. Count “1 la li, 2 la li”, or count the six divisions with emphasis on the first and fourth.
There are two useful click settings for the same illustrative tempo:
- Dotted quarter = 60: two main clicks per bar; three eighth-note divisions inside each beat.
- Eighth note = 180: six clicks per bar; group them as 3 + 3.
The second click rate is three times the first, but the bar lasts the same amount of time. Do not label six eighth-note clicks at 60 BPM as dotted quarter = 60.
Hear why 3/4 is different
Both 3/4 and 6/8 can contain six eighth notes, but their usual grouping differs. In 3/4, hear three groups of two eighth notes. In 6/8, hear two groups of three.
The examples above use 3/4 at quarter note = 90 with eighth notes, and 6/8 at dotted quarter = 60 with eighth notes. Those two share an eighth-note rate of 180 and the same bar duration, with different groupings. Try clapping the main beats while the smaller divisions sound. Continue with subdivisions if the grouping is hard to hear.
Choose the setting for your score
Use the printed note symbol beside the tempo marking as your first guide. If a teacher counts the passage differently, agree on the beat unit before comparing numbers.
An accent does not change a time signature, and adding subdivisions does not turn 3/4 into 6/8.
Sources
Open Music Theory: simple meter and compound meter. Checked 7 November 2026.