Time signatures

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Time signatures help count the rhythm of written music.

They come in a whole range, here's a brief guide to the common ones:

Simple time:

time-signature-24.png 2/4  - count 2 per bar (1 and 2 and)
time-signature-34.png 3/4  - count 3 per bar (1 and 2 and 3 and)
time-signature-44.png 4/4  - count 4 per bar (1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and)

Compound time:

time-signature-68.png 6/8  - count 2 per bar (1 and a 2 and a)
time-signature-98.png 9/8  - count 3 per bar (1 and a 2 and a 3 and a)
time-signature-128.png 12/8 - count 4 per bar (1 and a 2 and a 3 and a 4 and a)

A few others:

time-signature-c.png common time - count 4 per bar, as 4/4
time-signature-22.png alla breve - count 2 minims per bar
time-signature-cut.png cut time - count 2 per bar, as 2/2

And more:

time-signature-54.png 5/4 time - count 5 per bar
time-signature-78.png 7/8 time - count 7 per bar
etc


Read more: Wikipedia