In the 4/4 time signature, the numbers tell you that each measure will contain four quarter note beats. So each time you tap the beat, you're tapping the equivalent of one-quarter note.
What is the pattern of 4/4 in music? A 4/4 time signature means that you will play four beats in a measure and the quarter note gets one beat. You can use a variety of notes (whole notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, etc.). Just make sure that whatever rhythm you use will equal the length of four quarter notes.
4/4 TIME SIGNATURE
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).
A time signature of 4/4 means count 4 (top number) quarter notes (bottom number) to each bar. So the pulse, or beat, is counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. That means all the notes in each bar must add up to 4 quarter notes.
The 4/4 time signature means that there are four crotchet beats per bar, and the tempo indication means that there are 80 beats per minute and that each beat represents one crotchet (quarter note). So you would input 80 BPM and 4 beats per bar into the metronome.
In fact, to answer the question why 4/4 is called “common time”, you could simply have a look at the statistics of time signatures in all music ever created. More than 90% or more of all popular songs written in the last 100 years is in 4/4. That is indeed why it is called “common time”, because it simply is so common.
Time signature 4/4 is also referred to as common time. Having four quarter notes in a bar (four crotchet beats) is the most regular way to count a piece. To reflect this we sometimes simply draw a C at the start of the music. The C stands for Common Time.
Four quarter notes occupy the same amount of time as one whole note. Two quarter notes equal the duration of a half note. Four crotchets occupy the same amount of time as one semibreve. Two crotchets equal the duration of a minim.
To know the duration in terms of time, you have to check the tempo. If the unit of measure is a quarter in a song, because the time signature is 4/4, and the BPM=60, it means that each quarter will last 1 second. If the time signature is 4/4 and the BPM=120, it means the quarter will last 0.5 seconds and so on.
In the musical world, we can start with the whole note as the basic unit to be divided up. It receives 4 beats.
In fact, the 4/4 time signature is so commonly used in most Western music genres that it's often called “common time” as well. That's what the “C” at the very start of a piece of music indicates. That basically means it's kind of like a default time signature.
One whole note is four beats. A quarter note is one beat. An eighth note is one half beat. A sixteenth note is one fourth beat.
In 4/4 time, we count eighth note symbols like this: We pronounce these eighth note beats as “one and two and three and four and.” Practicing these rhythms like eighth note beats with the Skoove app will help you feel and play them better in time.
The musical scale is based on our perception of frequency, and harmonic relationships between frequencies. The choice of 12 evenly spaced notes is based on the so-called circle of fifths. Frequencies that are harmonically related tend to sound good together.
For example, if the time signature is 4/4, the upper number indicates that there are four beats per measure. The lower number, in this case the numeral 4, tells the musician that a quarter note receives one beat.
There are a number of time signatures one can choose to use, but the majority of music (not just rock, pop, and electro) is in 4/4 time. 4/4 time is also known as “common time” because it is the most common time we use in Western music.
In 4/4 time it has the duration of four beats. A normal resting heart rate for children (ages 5-12) is 70-120 bpm, and for adults is 60-100 bpm.
As you know by now, 4/4 is by far the most popular time signature in the world. With four steady beats in each measure, it provides for a very stable rhythm. The top number in the time signature is easily divisible by two, which is what makes it feel "even." This is also true for time signatures like 2/4, 2/2, or 12/8.
This means that if your beat is a quarter note—as in 4/4 or 3/4—a tempo of 60 BPM means there are 60 quarter notes per minute, or one quarter note every second.
You can have a piece in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, or 7/8 time, all marked at 120 BPM.