Time Signatures Flashcards

Grade 4 · Music · Flashcards

Review key vocabulary about time signatures, note values, and how beats are organized in music.

Flashcards

Time Signature: Two numbers at the beginning of music: the top tells beats per measure, the bottom tells what note gets one beat.
Measure (Bar): A segment of music between two bar lines that contains the number of beats shown in the time signature.
Beat: The steady repeating pulse in music, like the ticking of a clock.
4/4 Time: Four beats per measure; the quarter note gets one beat. The most common time signature.
3/4 Time: Three beats per measure; quarter note gets one beat. Creates a waltz feel.
2/4 Time: Two beats per measure; quarter note gets one beat. Creates a march feel.
Common Time: Another name for 4/4 time, sometimes written as a C symbol.
Quarter Note: A note worth one beat in 4/4 time, written as a filled note head with a stem.
Half Note: A note worth two beats in 4/4 time, written as an open note head with a stem.
Whole Note: A note worth four beats in 4/4 time, written as an open oval without a stem.
Bar Line: A vertical line on the staff separating one measure from the next.
Downbeat: The first and strongest beat of a measure, counted as beat 1.