(Sales exercises) Sheet Music Theory: Time Signatures

August 30th, 2008 admin Posted in music |

By Victor Epand

If you are a new music student there will be a few things you must learn before you can read sheet music. One of the first questions you might hear is what a beat might be. Most new music students will give the only answer that they have. They will answer that they do not know. In a rough sort of way a beat could be considered a measurement of time but it is also more, and less, than that.

The first thing that determines the definition of a beat is the time signature that is found at the front of the stave on a piece of sheet music. It is represented by one number placed above another. One of the most common time signatures in composition is that of 4/4 time. The first thing you must do is to break the time signature down and figure out exactly what it is telling you. The top number four in this particular time lets you know that there are four beats in each bar. The bottom number is a little more daunting for beginners. It can involve more than most can comprehend at the beginning.

One of the reasons that 4/4 time is so popular with many new music students is that it is easier to understand the breakdown of the two figures. In 4/4 time the beats can be easily shown by using a quarter note for each beat. When you move on to other time signatures you will find that other notes can actually be worth one beat also but once you understand the bottom figure of the time signature itself you will easily comprehend the value of one beat within that particular piece of sheet music.

When looking at your time signature keep in mind that the bottom number is actually a fraction of a whole note. In 4/4 time this means that each whole note can be divided into four parts. You could also ask yourself the question, “four of which sort of note will equal one whole note?” In this case it is four quarter notes that equal one whole note. Basically what you are looking at is a description letting you know that each beat is equal to one quarter note and that there are four quarter note beats in each bar.

Another example would be to use a time signature such as 2/2 time. According to the bottom number there would be two parts when you divide the whole note out thusly. This would end up as a half note, so each beat would be worth one half note and there would be two half notes in each bar. There are many more kinds of time signatures that you will learn as a music student but for many of the this basic technique will help you to understand the basic of the time signature when reading your sheet music. Once you move on to reading signatures such as 6/8 time or even more complex ones such as 12/8 you will find that they are not so daunting as you might have first thought.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, keyboards, sheet music, guitar tab, and home theater audio. You can find the best marketplace at these sites for guitars, drums, keyboards, sheet music reading, guitar tab, and home theater audio.

Reading Notes On Sheet Music
By Victor Epand

If you have ever stopped to look at a piece of sheet music you will have noticed many different shapes ranged across the page. Many look like circles that might or might not be totally filled in. Some may look connected by a couple lines or more. There are other strange symbols as well. What does this all mean?

Is sheet music written in some strange language that only a musician can understand? The answer to that is a resounding no! While it can seem daunting at first sheet music is not extremely difficult to read once you know and understand the different types of notes and symbols you are looking at.

The note structure for most sheet music follows the same basic rules. A whole note is the first note that you should be able to recognize easily. It looks like an open circle and will occupy one full measure (the space between two of the vertical bars which are placed at even integrals across the staff. A whole note is one that is held for the full measure of a beat.

A whole note that falls under different time signatures will not be held for the same length of time however. A whole note in 4/4 time will be held for a full four beats whereas one in 3/4 time will only be held for three beats. This difference aside the whole note will always be considered a whole note unless there is another bit of musical notation added which will be discussed later on.

The next type of note is a half note. This note will look like a small open circle with a line rising up from the right side. As the name implies this type of note will only be held for half the time that a whole note would be held. You will never see a whole note on the same measure as another note except in very specific time signatures which are the rare exception indeed.

Your next note will be a quarter note. Each of these notes in a measure are held for one-quarter of a beat. A quarter note will look just like a half note except the circle section will be completely filled. The other types of notes you will find will be drawn similar to the quarter notes except for one difference.

It is this difference that will determine the length of the beat for which the note will be held. Eighth notes for example are joined at the top of their vertical lines by a bar that crosses from one note to the next. It is this single bar at the top that will let you know that the notes are held for one eighth of a beat apiece. The same will go for sixteenth notes which are joined by two bars at the top and thirty second notes which are joined by three bars at the top of the note. Once you can recognize these different types of notes you will learning sheet music before you know it.

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Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, keyboards, sheet music, guitar tab, and home theater audio. You can find the best marketplace at these sites for guitars, drums, keyboards, reading sheet music, guitar tab, and specialty home theater audio.

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