The time signatures reforest to the number of notes and beats in each measure on the staff. On the staff, measures will be separated by periodic vertical lines, separating the staff into little chunks of notes. Just to the right of the clef will be two numbers, one over the other, like a fraction. The top number represents the number of beats in each measure on the staff, while the bottom number represents the value of each beat in the measure.
- In western music, the most common time signature is 4/4 time, which means there are four beats in each measure, and one quarter-note is worth one beat. You may also see a capitol C in place of 4/4. They are the same thing, the "C" is for "common time." 6/8 time, another often used time signature, means that there are 6 beats in each measure and the 8th note gets the beat.