Time Signatures: Everything You Need to Know

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Time signatures are easy in theory; the top number is how many beats are in a bar(i.e. what metre is it in), and the bottom number tells you what kind of note is the beat(4=quarter, 2=half, 8=eighth, etc.), but this concept can be pretty brain melting for people who are only used to reading 4/4 or 3/4 or other "simple" time signatures. Hopefully this video gives enough examples and explanations to smooth out this concept for most people. I might even do another video with just tons of examples, one after another, to practice reading and counting rhythms. Let me know in the comments if that's something you'd like!
Check out my video about how to learn all your scales in 24 hours!
• Learn All Your Scales ...
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Chapters
0:00 - Introduction
0:14 - Reviewing Common Time(4/4, 3/4, etc)
1:15 - Redefining Reality
2:30 - Cut time, 2/2, alla breve
3:46 - Learning pieces in cut time
5:26 - 6/8 and Compound Time Signatures
6:47 - Other Compound Time Signatures
7:54 - Take Lessons With Me!
8:33 - Subdividing in Compound Time
9:27 - Tuplets in Compound Time
10:21 - Complex Meter
11:21 - Mixed Meter
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Other instalments of this series:
Part 1: Rhythm Basics - • Rhythms: The Fundamentals
Part 2: Subdivision - • Eighth Notes, Triplets...
Coming soon!
Part 4: Swing: When Eighths Go Rogue
Part 5: Metric Madess (clave, hemiola, and all kinds of odds and sods)
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www.BradHarrison.ca
www.patreon.com/bradharrison
This video contains emojis that were designed by OpenMoji - the open-source emoji and icon project. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Special thanks to OpenMoji!

[@AlecShernAPS]

I'm nearly 27 now and play casually each summer in a community band. Your videos have helped me reinforce and re-learn the topics I have forgotten about since high school. Thanks!

[@timmysixxstrings]

This is an amazing lesson. I've been playing guitar for 25 years, mostly using only 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8. This lesson has my mind racing with new possibilities and new ideas for songwriting. Thank you so much!!

[@BradHarrison]

So glad you enjoyed! Yeah, exploring other time feels is really fun and cool. And, pro tip, even really “weird” time signatures like 10/8 or 7/8 can feel really natural and easy to follow if they have a regular repeating pattern. I’m often surprised how non-musicians can groove out to something relatively complex if there’s a pattern to grab on to.

[@timmysixxstrings]

@@BradHarrison Thank you! I will definitely have to look into those times as well. Excellent teaching!!

[@timmysixxstrings]

​@BradHarrison Songs like Led Zeppelins "Black Dog" have some amazing time changes, yet it seems to blend so smoothly, to your point.

[@samuelg.5685]

1

[@NeraKitsune]

Man your videos are so high quality. Thank you for making such a byzantine world a little less confusing.

[@BradHarrison]

My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed!

[@theatomicwolf2975]

i have exam in one and a half week, u are gonna safe me💪🏿💪🏿

[@Haakhin]

This is an amazing resource, quite informative. Thanks for making this video :)

[@hasinaramaroson3734]

Your video is very helpful, thanks

[@northernpianomusic]

Nice. Thank you. Will be adding this video to my music theory class.

[@BradHarrison]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SynIMPFML666]

Bass player. Tool, and meshuggah are my go tos

[@hyperseah]

I needed this video 2 years ago. I was so confused then.

[@funny_colandertv5352]

C vs C with line on preview really bited me to see the video!

[@timmysixxstrings]

I will have to watch this video over and over as I only understand the basic time signatures. However, this presents a great opportunity for me to learn and stretch my abilities. Wonderfully put together video. Thanks again!

[@jeremiahsumalbag6693]

6:39 i remember playing that piece in band last year

[@Scrolte6174]

LOL

[@Ayel-wl4ix]

I came here to learn whatever rhythm is in music and I go out learning how to read music sheets. Now I'm thinking of writing music in music sheets to practice it (I've only been making music in a DAW)

[@BradHarrison]

Sounds like the video was helpful! Glad to hear it! Making music in DAW is fantastic, and something I only have a little experience in, but the world of music notation is also very rich and useful. Hope you find it helpful!

[@Ayel-wl4ix]

​@@BradHarrisonYes I forgot to say, thank you for these quality tutorials. You make it very easy to understand. Straight to the point. As a hobbyist in music production (aka bedroom producer) I've always wanted try writing music on a music sheet because that's what pros do but always been lazy to learn cause the idea of it is overwhelming. I didn't know it would be today I'd learn about music sheets. There's probably a lot more to learn but I could start with this knowledge.

[@kartheesh6913]

Glad your back, what took you so long?

[@BradHarrison]

The videos take a real long time to make. I could do it a bit faster if I only did this but I also have a career as a performer and educator aside from KZbin. Gigs and lessons take up time!

[@kartheesh6913]

@@BradHarrison Ah i understand man, im surprised by how good your content truly is, keep it up!

[@officialkensonmusicworld1246]

Well Said Sir❤​@@BradHarrison

[@Ozone280]

As a 67 year old who's teaching himself to read music, I just don't get it - at all. I've never got it, and I'm no nearer getting it after your video than I was before. Time signatures are a total mystery to me, and I fear will remain so.

[@BradHarrison]

Where are you getting lost? Are you comfortable with simple rhythms in 4/4? If not, that’s the place to start(check my two early videos on rhythms). If so, watch the video again, pause and review when necessary. Also maybe consider getting some lessons to talk it through with a teacher? Either someone local to you or I’d be happy to meet up online if you like. This stuff can be tricky at first but I’ve found it really is “gettable”. If you want to, you can do this.

[@BradHarrison]

Rhythms: The Fundamentals kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHusk5lqo7J6abs

[@BradHarrison]

Eighth Notes, Triplets, & Sixteenths: Everything You Need to Know kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGeUnKalgqiYqsU

[@luxferredesu3889]

hey brad, are the videos in your 'music theory playlist' arranged in order from beginner to more advanced?

[@BradHarrison]

More or less. You could definitely get into the weeds as fas as debating which goes first, but they’re roughly in the order I teach them in. And thanks for the reminder because I should update the playlist based on recent releases!

[@luxferredesu3889]

@@BradHarrison Do you by the way have a list (or recommended website) of music theory topics starting with the most basic going up in difficulty? also thanks man, your videos helped a lot!

[@BradHarrison]

I don’t, but that playlist is a good starting point. Also, learn songs and when you find something new, research it and see where it leads you. Once you’ve got the fundamentals down, the musical world is your oyster.

[@luxferredesu3889]

@@BradHarrison Alright, thanks again man!

[@nvdawahyaify]

1 bar of 6/8 sounds identical to 2 bars of 3/4 to me. And I've been playing the guitar for 20 years and the tin whistle for 19. It may just be my autistic brain, but trying to count along has always been an issue for me, because I could count the same piece in different ways, just feeling the subdivision differently than other people.

[@BradHarrison]

You’re not wrong! The difference is that one bar of 6/8 is two strong beats that subdivide into three eights for each beat. To make it the same in 3/4, the tempo would have to be quite high, and you’d basically be thinking of it in 1, subdivided into 3. It would also look cluttered on the page because there would be twice as many bar lines.

[@TheRamblingSoul]

I'm starting to learn piano. What order should I watch these videos in? The playlists seem incomplete

[@BradHarrison]

Not sure what play list you're looking at but this is the bigger one: kzbin.info/aero/PLDaNGknQ_wTh3eXyjB0smdEYSvqa-wJ1_ I just moved the order of some things to hopefully make them a bit more sequential. But this stuff is all connected, and people often learn it in a different order, so feel free to jump around to serve your own needs.

[@mitchellfloden8397]

The other aspect of time signatures that was not mentioned: the musical phrase. Which time signature best assists the musical sentence structure can be seen in the examples shown. Strange time signatures break the flow of music - unless that's the objective . . . to create an odd feel.

[@BradHarrison]

I guess that’s kind of implied by the notion of music “feeling” like it’s in 3 or 4, as discussed and demonstrated in the video. I sometimes do an exercise with students where you count in 3 over a piece that’s in 4, and vice versa, but cut it from here for time and clarity. As far as strange time signatures, I find many audience can lock into a groove if it’s regular, even if musicians find it unfamiliar. I’ve heard big groups groove and sing along to 5/4 and 10/8 no problem.

[@k_ldrarik_ldrari2734]

Alguem legenda por favor!🙏 Br

[@sandrafrancis3631]

I was told 3/8 counts as simple time and is not really compound time because it's just 3 beats in a bar...?

[@BradHarrison]

You can make an argument either way, and it depends on context, but however you classify it doesn’t change how it works. Here’s a Reddit thread with some discussion on the topic. www.reddit.com/r/musictheory/s/60K8B2gSi0

[@sandrafrancis3631]

@BradHarrison Thanks for your reply. You're right it doesn't change how it works. It would only matter if you were taking a theory exam and you were asked a question about it and you gave the wrong answer according to them. I have taken some theory exams, I was told by one tutor that 3/8 doesn't count as compound time. She could have been wrong, for all I know? I'm in the UK so I don't know if that makes a difference? I will look into it, but it's not exactly a big deal music wise....your videos are very good and are very helpful! So thanks for that! 👍👏

[@BradHarrison]

I don’t think she was wrong; her reasoning sounds clear. But I group 3/8 in with 6/8, etc because of the order you usually learn things as far as theory and notation. And just remember, the only real rule in music theory is, do it the way your teacher taught you if you want the mark!

[@sandrafrancis3631]

@BradHarrison hi! I red the Reddit pros and cons. Seems more people go with technically it's simple, but, it could be seen as compound if it's in One and being divided by 3? That seems odd to me? I remember the thing about 3/8 is the same as 3/4 really, I can't see how 3/4 can be compound time? The thing of One beat in the bar seems very unusual to me? Wouldn't it still sound like 3/4? I think yes. I only really know music theory up to Grade 5 or so, so I'm no expert, but I think the tutor is right it's simple time, especially for exam purposes. Other than that, you could call it what you like!? 🤔 Thanks again! 😊

[@number-1-Saxman]

How can anyone be confused about time time signatures? You explanation is excellent.

[@BradHarrison]

It’s pretty common for beginners to get confused about them. Learning music and notation is hard for some people.

[@electro-soma]

Lots of people, me included and many others judging by the comments and number of videos on this topic to try and explain it. I still don't get it at all and have been trying for years.

[@BradHarrison]

@electro-soma Did you find this video helpful? If not, what’s the first thing that you stumbled on? Did you watch the first two videos in the series as a foundation?

[@electro-soma]

​@@BradHarrison Hi - Yes I watched the other videos. To be honest I found your delivery a little too fast, though I could slow down the playback speed! It's difficult to say what I stumbled on. I think it's a disconnect between real world examples and watching graphics on a video. It doesn't really hit home with me. I'm not sure. I have a hard time trying to interpret this into real world examples. I don't play any instruments as such. I have synths and drum machines and mainly upload EDM stuff. There's plenty of electronic music that isn't 4/4 so I'm just trying to understand how to apply that on a sequencer. Like many people I find music theory pretty baffling to be honest. There's something about it that is so imperceptible that makes it difficult to grasp. I've subscribed and will watch more.

[@BradHarrison]

@electro-soma it’s tough stuff and it’s impossible to nail the delivery speed for everyone. Feel free to pause or review when necessary! It also makes a lot more sense when you apply it to your own instrument and playing. I’m sure you can feel the difference between music in 3 and music in 4, right? If not, that’s the thing to start with. Hear and feel the strong pulse and cycles of 3 or 4. Count along. The rest of key signatures is just how it’s written. 6/8 and 6/4 sound the same but look different. If you’re not playing an instrument and reading, that difference just isn’t going to affect you much. Hope that helps!

[@danag2841]

I’ve watched 10 different videos and still can’t understand it

[@BradHarrison]

What part? What’s the first place you get confused. Have you watched the first two parts of the series?

[@DNPlays634]

Same

[@DNPlays634]

Same

[@BradHarrison]

@DNPlays634 Same questions for you then! Where are you getting lost? Have you looked at the rest of the series? That foundation is crucial.