Meter/Time in Music

A meter/time is basically the repeating pattern you strum.

It is written as a time signature i.e. x/y

x = number of beats

Duple: two beats to a bar; Triple: three beats to bar; Quadruple: four beats to a bar

y = note value that receives the beat

The note values that can receive beats include double whole note, whole note (1), half note (2), quarter note (4), eighth note (8), sixteenth note (16), thirty-second note (32), sixty-fourth note (64), and one hundred and twenty-eighth note (128).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meter can be categorised into Simple, Compound, Complex (n.b. bar=measure)

• Simple meter: each beat in a measure can be subdivided into two notes. (always have 2/3/4 as a top number)
• Simple duple: two beats to a bar, each divided into two notes, the top number being "2" (2/4, 2/8, 2/2)
• Simple triple: three beats to a bar, each divided into two notes, the top number being "3" (3/4, 3/8, 3/2)
• Simple quadruple: four beats to a bar, each divided into two notes, the top number being "4" (4/4, 4/8, 4/2)

• Compound meter: each beat in a measure can be subdivided into three notes.
• Compound duple: two beats to a bar, each divided into three notes, the top number being "6" (6/8, 6/16, 6/4 ) [Note: division into 3 beats to give simple triple is established by 3/4]
• Compound triple: three beats to a bar, each divided into three notes, the top number being "9" (9/8, 9/16, 9/4)
• Compound quadruple: four beats to a bar, each divided into three notes, the top number being "12" (12/8, 12/16)

• Complex meter: each measure is a combination of several other meters.