NotePlayMusicReading Time Signatures Practice
Count note and rest values in complete bars to choose between 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, then compare a dotted minim with quavers.
Use note and rest durations to identify the metre
The top number of a simple time signature tells how many beats fill a bar, and the bottom number tells which note value is one beat. In 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 the beat is a crotchet. Notes and rests both use up time.
Two quavers last one crotchet beat; four semiquavers also last one. A dotted note adds half its original length, so a dotted minim fills three crotchet beats.
How to work it out
- Convert every note and rest in the bar into crotchet beats, keeping fractions such as a half-beat quaver.
- Add them together; a total of two, three or four beats identifies 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4 in these questions.
Worked example
A bar has a crotchet, two quavers and a crotchet rest. Which of these metres fits?
The durations are one + one + one = three crotchet beats. A complete bar with those values fits 3/4.
Watch for this mistake
Counting symbols instead of durations fails when a bar contains quavers, dots or rests.
Why does 3/4 feel like a waltz?
Hear Happy Birthday lean on beat one, hear it limp when forced into four, and see what the two numbers of 3/4 mean.
Learning objectives
- Count the beats in a bar to identify its time signature.
- Recognize note values shown in written notation.
Worksheet
Select the correct time signature for the bar.
Answer: ______________________
Select the correct time signature for the bar.
Answer: ______________________
Select the correct time signature for the bar.
Answer: ______________________
Select the correct time signature for the bar.
Answer: ______________________
How many quavers are there in this note?
Answer: ______________________
Answer Key
- 4/4 — The crotchets (1 + 1), quaver rest (1/2), quaver (1/2) and four semiquavers (1) total four crotchet beats: 4/4.
- 3/4 — Two quavers make one crotchet beat; the two crotchets add two more. Three crotchet beats fit 3/4.
- 3/4 — The dotted crotchet (three quavers) and three more quavers total six quavers, or three crotchet beats: 3/4.
- 2/4 — The quaver and quaver rest each last half a beat; with the crotchet they total two crotchet beats: 2/4.
- 6 — A minim lasts four quavers, and the dot adds two more: six quavers.
1. Select the correct time signature for the bar.
💡 Convert the rest and each note to crotchet beats, then add them. Four semiquavers make one crotchet beat.
2. Select the correct time signature for the bar.
💡 The first two notes are quavers. Pair them into one crotchet beat, then count the two longer notes.
3. Select the correct time signature for the bar.
💡 A dotted crotchet lasts three quavers. Count the three shorter notes too; two quavers make one crotchet beat.
4. Select the correct time signature for the bar.
💡 The first note and the rest each last half a crotchet beat. Add them to the crotchet note.
5. How many quavers are there in this note?
💡 A minim equals four quavers; a dot adds half of that value again.