3. 1 READ: Rhythm & time Signature

Rhythm

The combination of different notes and rests makes rhythm. The addition of beats in each measure should coincide with the time signature. 

 

Time Signature

 The time signature appears at the beginning of a piece of music, right after the key signature. The time signature is the symbol that tells you what meter is being used in a piece of music and what types of notes are being used to write it out.

figure 3. 1 a

Most time signatures contain two numbers. The top number tells you how many beats there are in a measure. The bottom number tells you what kind of note gets a beat. For example, In "four four" time, there are four beats in a measure and a quarter note gets a beat. In order to keep the meter going steadily, every measure must have a combination of notes and rests that is equivalent to four quarter notes.