What is Time Signature?

And why you need to know that as a guitar player!

Alright, let’s get into counting and know what a time signature is.

Every song has a time signature, and they usually maintain one time signature for the entirety of the song. A time signature is just the way we describe the feelings of the beats in a bar. :)

Of course, it involves some music theory, but this guitar lesson will be about the practical understanding of time signatures. If you'd like to learn more about music theory, check out the JustinGuitar Practical Music Theory Course.

Now let's get started!

Time Signatures - What's 4/4

Songs in 4/4 have for beats per bar. When we count beats, we say "1, 2, 3, 4." When playing songs in 4:4, we tend to accentuate the first beat of each bar.

If you're following my Beginner Guitar Course, all the songs we've learned so far are in 4/4. But, we’re about to change that!

Time Signatures - Meet 6/8

6/8 is another time signature, and it's a pretty common one! 6/8 songs have six beats per bar, and when we count them, we say "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6." When playing in 6/8 time, we tend to accent beats 1 and 4, so it's two groups of three pulses.

The > is the symbol we use to show an accented beat. For example, a primary 6/8 looks like this:

>     >  

1 2 3 4 5 6

Now let's check out the next time signature!

Time Signatures - Meet 3/4

Another typical time signature you might encounter is 3/4 time. That one has just 3 beats per bar, and it gives that familiar waltz feel. If we divide 3:4 time with 'ands' between the beats, we also end up with 6 pulses in a bar, but the accents’ placement differs from 6:8. Here's how we'd found a 3/4 time:

>   >   >

1 + 2 + 3 +

They are pretty similar, and you don't have to overthink any of this. You're much better off just listening and feeling the rhythm for these things. :)

Getting Used to 6/8 Songs

You'll find different time signatures in many diverse music styles! The 6/8 time is more common in pop music, so we'll focus on that one for now.

The best way to get better acquainted with a time signature like 6:8 is to just listen to songs that use it. While listening, count out loud along with the music, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,” just so you can hear the beats and the accents.

Here are some songs you can listen to using 6:8:

• This Year’s Love David Gray

• Everybody Hurts REM

• Fade Into You Mazzy Star

• Nothing Else Matters Metallica

• Hide Your Love Away - The Beatles

• Kiss from A Rose Seal

How to Practice 6/8 Songs

When playing 6/8 songs, think of six down strums to a bar of music.

When we learned 4/4, each beat was a down strum with your up strums representing your and beats, remember? It's the same here, but now we have six down strums per bar.

Practice with a metronome set to somewhere around 130 BPM. You'll play one down strum per beat while counting out loud. Once you’ve got that down, work on accenting beats 1 and 4 with the stronger accent on beat 1.

Like with 4/4 time, the most important thing is keeping your hand moving all the time, no matter the strumming pattern. So try to train your arms to get that consistent movement down.

If you want extra help practicing rhythm, check out the JustinGuitar Time Trainer Metronome. Next, we'll learn the most useful 6/8 strumming pattern for beginners