Simple Time Signatures
Primary 6 · Creative Arts
Simple Time Signatures
Lesson 5 of 5
30 min
Let's begin
Habimana listens to the radio at home. A gospel song, a school song, a song for dancing: almost every one of them can be counted 1 2 3 4.
Four-four time is used so often that musicians gave it a nickname: common time.
In four-four time each bar has four crotchet beats. Count ONE two THREE four. Beat 1 is the strongest, beat 3 is a little strong, and beats 2 and 4 are weak. Say WA-ter-MEL-on to feel it.
Four-four time has its own sign: a big C written where the two numbers would go. The C stands for common time, and it means exactly the same as four-four time.
Any mix that adds up to 4 beats will fit. A semibreve (4 beats) fills a whole bar on its own.
The conductor's hand goes down on beat 1, in towards the body (to the left) on beat 2, out to the right on beat 3 and back up on beat 4.
Mary Had a Little Lamb is an old song that belongs to everyone. In 1877 the inventor Thomas Edison recited its words as the first recording on his new phonograph, a machine that could record a voice and play it back. Count "1 2 3 4" in every bar as you clap and sing:
The last note, on "snow", is a semibreve: hold it for all four beats of the bar.
When you hear a new song, you can find its time yourself:
| Time | Count | Feels like | Often used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-four | ONE two | marching: LEFT right | marches |
| Three-four | ONE two three | swaying or turning | waltzes, lullabies |
| Four-four | ONE two THREE four | walking | most songs and hymns |
Tip
Big C means four-four. Count ONE two THREE four, and remember that a semibreve (ta-a-a-a) fills a whole bar of common time.
Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
Which single note fills a whole bar of four-four time?
Answer: A semibreve (4 beats).
What does a big C written instead of the two numbers mean?
Answer: Four-four time, also called common time.
A bar of four-four time has a minim and a crotchet. What ONE note completes it?
Answer: A crotchet (2 + 1 + 1 = 4).
In Mary Had a Little Lamb, how many beats does the note on "snow" last?
Answer: 4 beats. It is a semibreve.
You clap along to a song and feel STRONG weak weak, STRONG weak weak. Which time is it in?
Answer: Three-four time.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
Mary Had a Little Lamb (words by Sarah Josepha Hale, 1830, sung to the old tune of Merrily We Roll Along) is in the public domain. The radio story, the notation drawings, the conducting diagram, the table and the practice questions were written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
In four-four time beat 1 is the strongest. Which other beat is a little strong?
