Alternatives to 4/4 Time

Back in Chapter 3 we defined what a time signature was. So far we’ve been working with tunes in 4/4 time, which means that there are four quarter note beats per measure:

The top number of the time signature (4 in this case) indicates how many beats there are in the measure. These beats are where you would normally tap your foot! The bottom number indicates what rhythmic value is assigned to the beat (in this case, a quarter note).

So now it’s time to go beyond the confines of 4/4 time, and play some songs in other time signatures.