The 4/4 Time Signature In Music
The 4/4 Time Signature In Music
A 4/4-time signature is a simple quadruple time that signifies four quarter notes in a bar. This is simply a whole note or a minim beat count. It is the most common time signature used in most forms of Western classical and popular music.
There are other variations of simple quadruple time like 4/2 time but we are concerned about 4/4 time for now.
As a matter of fact, the 4/4-time signature is very common and literally known as common time. A symbol like capital C is also in use at the beginning of a piece to represent 4/4 time as a common time.
The 4/4-time signature is a simple time and has a periodic beat pattern with four beats counts. Specifically, one beat is a quarter note and four beats equivalent notes in a measure.
In this article, we will look into what 4/4 means in Time Signature and how to interpret it. Also, we will see one or two examples of music pieces written in 4/4 time. However, let us see what time signature is in music theory and notation first.
What Is A Time Signature?
The time signature is the two numbers (one above the other) placed at the beginning of a musical piece after the key signature to define the number of beats and type of note equivalent to a beat in each measure of a piece.
The two numbers are very useful for musicians to identify the number of beats per measure and note that equal to one beat.
The example in the diagram above shows where the time signature is placed on a staff music notation.
For more clarity on what the time signature is, you can quickly check the post about Time Signature with the link.
The 4/4 Time Signature In Music
The 4/4 time signature is a typical quadruple time signature with four crotchets (or quarter note) beats in a measure.
4/4 time is the most common type of time signature used in music. It uses figure 4 as both numerator (upper number of a time signature) and denominator (lower number of a time signature).
Sometimes the 4/4 time signature is practically represented with the capital letter “C” which is known as common time. We discussed the common time more in one of the sections below.
What Does The Top Number Of A 4/4 Time Signature Mean?
The upper number known as the numerator tells the musician about the number of beats in a bar. This number specified the number of beats to count.
Thus in the 4/4 time signature which has four (4) as the top number, we have four beats in a measure. So we will count four beats for 4/4 time signature. So we count the beat as 1-2-3-4,1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, … and so on.
What Does The Lower Number Of A 4/4 Time Signature Mean?
The lower number known as the denominator tells the musician about the type of note that is equivalent to one beat in a bar.
So in the 4/4 time signature, with the four (4) as the lower number, we have a quarter note (or crotchet beat) as one beat.
Note that the number at the bottom is like an inverse of the note value. For instance,
- The whole note is 1 and the inverse of 1 is 1
- A half note is 1/2 and an inverse of ½ is 2
- A quarter note is 4 and the inverse of ¼ is 4
- The eighth note is 1/8 and the inverse of 1/8 is 8
- The sixteenth note is 1/16 and the inverse of 1/16 is 16
We also have 1/32 and 1/64 notes with an inverse value of 32 and 64 respectively.
But the lower numbers of 32 and 64 are not actually common.
So with the four (4) as the bottom number, it means we have a quarter note as a beat in a bar.
Common Time signature And 4/4 Time Signature
The common time signature is the same number of beats per measure just like the 4/4 Time signature. Basically, both “C” and “4/4” are the same things in practice.
So, a letter “C” which signifies a “Common Time” is normally used for the 4/4 Time signature. Typically, the 4/4 time signature is called a common meter with the letter “C” as a possible choice because it is very popular.
Note that the “Common Meter” depicted with the letter “C” is also called an imperfect time.
But in the actual sense, the letter “C” used does not signify the word “Common” as many people may assume. The use of the letter “C for common time just happened by accident.
Specifically, the symbol “C” used for the Four-Four Time signature came from the ancient broken circle used for music notation. That is the earlier mensural notation system around the 14th and 16th centuries.
The mensural notation system allowed each note duration to be split into either two or three parts instead of using the “dotted notes” we employ now.
The three parts division called “perfect” (Tempus perfectum) and “imperfect” were used for division into two parts.
Basically, the mensural notation system symbolized the “perfect” subdivision time signature with a complete circle. And used a broken circle to symbolize the “imperfect” time signature.
The broken circle used was later modified into the letter “C” that we know now. So, calling common time imperfect time can also be traced back to the mensural time signatures broken circle.
How To Write Music Notes In 4/4 Measure
Definitely, we have four crotchet beats in a bar which means four quarter notes. However, 4/4 does not mean only four crotchet beats in a measure. Because we can still have different notes or beats in a bar with a 4/4 time signature.
For instance, we may have half notes, or eighth notes along with the rest equivalent to half, quarter, and eighth notes in value.
Specifically, the different notes can be grouped together to bring the rhythm of the melody of a piece to life.
So, regardless of the note and rest values, we grouped together in 4/4 measure, all the best value has to sum up to four quarter note value. That is every note and rest in each measure must combine to equal 4 crotchet beats.
However, the total number of beats you have in a measure as defined by the time signature cannot be less or more. Hence, we cannot have more than or less than 4 beats within the common time measure.
The usage of different notes and rest beat value in the Four -Four measures allow us to create a completely different sound rhythmically with the same 4/4 time signature.
Example of Music Notes In 4/4 Time Signature
There is much music written with a 4/4 time signature. The list is definitely long and is in the hundreds of thousands. However, we will show one or two examples from different music forms and styles.
Hymn Tune Aurelia
The Aurelia tune for the hymn “The Church’s One Foundation” written by Samuel Wesley. You can see in the diagram below how the beat and notes were arranged in the tune as shown above.
Piano Sonata No. 16, K545
The Piano Sonata Number 16 in C major, K545 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was also scored in 4/4 time. The diagram above shows the beginning of the piece. Observe how different notes come together to form a measure that equals four crotchet beats.
Hallelujah Chorus
The last example we will mention here is Hallelujah Chorus by George Frideric Handel. The famous chorus was written as part of Handel’s oratorio known as Messiah and it begins with a 4/4 time signature.
We can see the beginning of the piece from the diagram above. Also, the show can see how different notes and rest are used in each measure to have the equivalent of four crotchet beats.
Final Thought
The 4/4 time signature is all about four beats in a bar or measure. And notes and rests of different values can come together to form a bar of four beats.
We believe the post is self-explanatory and that you have learned one to two things from this article. However, if you have any questions related to the 4/4 time signature, kindly ask in the comment section below.
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