Time Signatures 4/4
Have you ever wondered why there is a fraction at the beginning of music? Why don't we see 4/4 written as 1 like we were always taught to reduce in Math class?
Lesson Objectives
- The learner will be able to accurately describe the purpose and function of a time signature.
- The learner will be able to differentiate between whole note, half note and quarter note.
- The learner will be able to differentiate between whole rests, half rests and quarter rests.
- The learner will be able to decode, count and notate rhythms in 4/4 with above note values
TIME SIGNATURES appear at the beginning of a piece of music and and define the amount and type of notes that will be in each measure. The top number tells us how many beats are in each measure, and the bottom tells us what note gets the beat (or pulse). We will be focusing on 4/4 and 3/4 Time Signatures throughout this unit.
4/4 TIME SIGNATURE
In 4/4 time signature (also referred to as COMMON TIME), is commonly found in every genre (or type) of music. In 4/4 there are four quarter notes per measure as noted by the number 4 on top (or a combination of other notes that equal four quarter notes). The bottom number which is a four tells us that the quarter note gets the beat (or pulse). In 4/4 time, there are four quarter notes in every measure, and the quarter note gets the beat.
- Note: Sometimes 4/4 is noted with a large C for common time.
Note Values
In 4/4 Time Signature, the notes below are used to illustrate note value or length.
A WHOLE NOTE = 4 Beats
A HALF NOTE = 2 Beats
A QUARTER NOTE = 1 Beat
In the following example, you can see that in each measure, there are 4 beats. 1 Whole Note = 4 Beats. 2 Half Notes = 4 Beats. 4 Quarter Notes = 4 Beats.
In this example, you see that there are 2 quarter notes and 1 half note in the first measure, and one whole note in the second. Each measure has 4 beats.
Rests
A REST is used in music to indicate silence.
A WHOLE REST = 4 Beats, Looks like an upside down top hat, and is written under the fourth line on the staff.
A HALF REST = 2 Beats, Looks like a top hat, and it written above the third line on the staff.
A QUARTER NOTE = 1 Beat, Can be drawn by first making a letter Z and then a letter C.
In the following example, you will see that there is a QUARTER REST on beat 3 of the measure. The measure still consists of 4 beats.
CHECK YOUR SKILLS
TASKS
4/4 Time Signatures File:Work8.pdf
Objective: Understanding how to count notes in 4/4 time signature.
Rests File:Work9.pdf
Objectives: Understand the role of rests and how to count them in 4/4 time signature.
Notes and Rests File:Work10.pdf
Objective: Combining notes and rests in 4/4 time signature.
ANSWER KEY
4/4 Time Signature (Answer Key) File:Answerwork8.pdf
Rests (Answer Key) File:Answerwork9.pdf
Notes and Rests (Answer Key)File:Answerwork10.pdf
Next Lesson Time Signatures 3/4
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