Thought you would never ask lol!! Have been looking at simple time signatures and compound time signatures. If I have got it right in simple time the top number tells you have many beats in a bar and the bottome number tells you what type of beat (how am i doing?) so far looked at 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 2/2, 3/2 and 4/2. Seem to be ok with that bit? IOn compound time am looking at 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8. I understand the breakdown from quavers in groups of 3 to a dotted crotchet and can work out the time signature when it is nice and easy ie when music is written in three lots of 3 beamed quavers - then it must be 9/8 (is that correct?) my problems start when there is a range of notes in the music. In one of my exercises I have 4 bars of music. In the first bar are one quaver beamed to 4 semiquavers and then two beamed quavers, then in the next bar are one semiquaver beamed to a quaver beamed to a semiquaver followed by a semiquaver dotted - and then a semiquaver rest. So, I want to write 4/8 but there isn't a bloody 4/8!!! Feel the need to lie down in a darkened room. Can you help? Put me out of my misery please.
Thanks clare
(sorry to be a complete pain in the backside - It is so frustrating.............. my book simply says "
•Count the total number of crotchets in the first bar.
•Decide if crotchets are the main beat.
•Look at groups of beamed notes. Beamed notes are normally grouped to equal one beat, (or sometimes one bar).
•Decide whether the music is in duple, triple or quadruple time (is the bar divided into 2, 3 or 4 main beats?)
•If the main beat is dotted, it will be compound time. If it’s not dotted, it will be simple time.
•Choose the most likely time signature and test it against the other bars, to make sure you are right.
Might as well be written in double dutch!!
etc and feeling rather pleased with myself - now I am stuck!! Have searched the board but cannot find any basic theory board to post my questions on - is there one?
