Understand Time Signatures

Music usually has two numbers at the beginning, one on top of the other. This is called a time signature. The time signature indicates how many beats there are in a measure (the space between bar lines), as well as what the general pace (rhythm) of a song will be.

Bar lines are vertical lines that intersect the entire stave at regular intervals. The end of a piece of music is indicated by a double bar line.

The top number of a time signature indicates how many beats are in a measure. The bottom number indicates the type of note that makes up each beat.

The most common time signature in popular music is 4/4 (four beats in each measure, and each beat is made up of a quarter note). Sometimes 4/4 time is indicated with a large "C" centered vertically on the stave at its beginning (which stands for "common time").