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<title>Musicianship Resources – Horton School of Music – Charleston Southern University</title>
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<h1><a href="index.html">Musicianship Resources</a></h1>
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<h1>Meter and time signatures</h1>
<p>Meter involves the way multiple pulse layers work together to organize music in time. Standard meters in Western music can be classified into <em>simple meters</em> and <em>compound meters</em>, as well as <em>duple</em>, <em>triple</em>, and <em>quadruple</em> meters.</p>
<p>Duple, triple, and quadruple classifications result from the relationship between the counting pulse (Karpinski's <em>secondary</em> pulse) and the pulses that are <em>slower</em> than the counting pulse (Karpinski's <em>primary</em> pulse). In other words, it is a question of <em>grouping</em>: how many beats (secondary pulse) occur in each bar (primary pulse). If counting-pulse beats group into twos, we have duple meter; groups of three, triple meter; groups of four, quadruple meter. Conducting patterns are determined based on these classifications.</p>
<p>Simple and compound classifications result from the relationship between the counting pulse and the pulses that are <em>faster</em> than the counting pulse. In other words, it is a question of <em>division</em>: does each beat divide into two equal parts, or three equal parts. Meters that divide the beat into two equal parts are <em>simple meters</em>; meters that divide the beat into three equal parts are <em>compound meters</em>.</p>
<p>Thus, there are six types of standard meter in Western music:</p>
<ul>
<li>simple duple (beats group into two, divide into two)</li>
<li>simple triple (beats group into three, divide into two)</li>
<li>simple quadruple (beats group into four, divide into two)</li>
<li>compound duple (beats group into two, divide into three)</li>
<li>compound triple (beats group into three, divide into three)</li>
<li>compound quadruple (beats group into four, divide into three)</li>
</ul>
<p>In a time signature, the <em>top number</em> (and the top number only!) describes the type of meter. Following are the top numbers that always correspond to each type of meter:</p>
<ul>
<li>simple duple: 2</li>
<li>simple triple: 3</li>
<li>simple quadruple: 4</li>
<li>compound duple: 6</li>
<li>compound triple: 9</li>
<li>compound quadruple: 12</li>
</ul>
<p>In <em>simple meters</em>, the bottom number of the time signature corresponds to the type of note corresponding to <em>a single beat</em>. If a simple meter is notated such that each quarter note corresponds to a beat, the bottom number of the time signature is 4. If a simple meter is notated such that each half note corresponds to a beat, the bottom number of the time signature is 2. If a simple meter is notated such that each eighth note corresponds to a beat, the bottom number of the time signature is 8. And so on.</p>
<p>In <em>compound meters</em>, the bottom number of the time signature corresponds to the type of note corresponding to <em>a single division of the beat</em>. If a compound meter is notated such that each dotted-quarter note corresponds to a beat, the eighth note is the division of the beat, and thus the bottom number of the time signature is 8. If a compound meter is notated such that each dotted-half note corresponds to a beat, the quarter note is the division of the beat, and thus the bottom number of the time signature is 4. Note that because the beat is divided into three in a compound meter, the beat is always three times as long as the division note, and <em>the beat is always dotted</em>.</p>
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