ornate palm
I never really properly understood what the bottom number in a time signature signifies.
The top describes how many beats are in a measure.
I know what quarter and eight notes are.
For example in a 6/8 time signature.
Does it mean that there are 6 individual eight notes in measure?
How do I know if what I'm hearing is in 6/8 instead of 6/4?
Pls someone explain it in a comprehensive straightforward manner.
bold kettle
Does it mean that there are 6 individual eight notes in measure?
Yes. Think of how you'd set up and play to a metronome in 6/8 time. The metronome, at least theoretically, would hit 6 times per bar, and those hits would correspond to 8th notes. You don't necessarily have to play every 8th note, you just need to feel them.
Essentially what the bottom note does is divide up the tempo. If you want to transcribe a piece into, say, 6/7, you'd have to use a different tempo value to 6/8. This also means that most denominators are redundant and you'll practically only be using powers of 2, unless you wanted to meme around with time signatures like 4/20 or whatever.
charred urchin
basically the type of note in each beat
bold kettle
It's important to point out that some time signatures are used to communicate how to divide up the pulse. If the pulse of the tempo goes too fast, you start grouping pulses together and at that point they no longer serve as pulses, but as subdivisions. Notably, 3/4 vs 6/8 in the same tempo.
3/4 means waltz rhythm (simple time), where the metronome hits three times per bar, and every pulse is supposed to be felt. 6/8 practically means two pulses, each divided into three (a.k.a compound time). If you do the math, that's 6. This matters because the pulse lands in the middle of the bar, which is not what happens in waltz rhythm
kind crest
> Does it mean that there are 6 individual eight notes in measure?
Yes. Think of...
Yeah, I think the point about "The metronome, at least theoretically, would hit 6 times per bar" is misleading, as the pulse is frequently not at the subdivision of the denominator in the time signature, particularly for compound time, where it's often in groups of 3 (as you say, 6/8 you feel in two groups of 3 quavers, so the pulse is 2 to a bar)
Further, while there are edge cases where you technically might want other denominators, you really can't have anything other than powers of 2 on the bottom (to the point where most music software literally doesn't support it as an option)