Time signatures explained: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 and 6/8

What the two numbers in a time signature mean, how to count 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4, and why 6/8 feels like two beats.

A time signature sits at the start of the music. The top number tells you how many beats fill each bar. The bottom number tells you which kind of note gets one beat: 4 means a crotchet (quarter note), 2 means a minim (half note) and 8 means a quaver (eighth note).

• 4/4 — four crotchet beats in a bar. Count 1 2 3 4.
• 3/4 — three crotchet beats. Count 1 2 3: the feel of a waltz.
• 2/4 — two crotchet beats. Count 1 2: the feel of a march.

Why 6/8 is different

6/8 has six quavers in each bar, but they are grouped in two sets of three. So it feels like two beats in a bar, each one a dotted crotchet. You can count all six quavers — 1 2 3 4 5 6 — or count the two big beats with their subdivisions: 1 & a 2 & a.

Try it

Clap along with a steady pulse and say the count out loud. Our free Rhythm Clap game lets you clap rhythms and see how close to the beat you were.