Day 7: Simple and Compound Meter

Time signatures can be classified into a certain meter - simple and compound. Furthermore those can be broken down by the number of beats in a measure: duple, triple and quadruple; simple means that each can be broken down into two beats. 2/4 is classified as simple duple - duple refers to the two beats (in this case two quarter notes) per measure. Simple means that they can be divided into two larger notes. 2/2 and 2/8 are also simple duple - two half notes will become two pairs of quarter notes and two eighth notes can be divided into two interconnected pairs of quarter notes.

3/4 time is called simple triple. Triple refers to three beats per measure - simple (again) states that each beat can be divided into three pairs of two notes.. 3/2 and 3/8 are simple triple - like the example above three half notes can become three pairs of quarter notes and three eighth notes can be divided into three interconnected pairs of quarter notes.

4/4 time is classified as simple quadruple - four beats can be divided into two pairs of connected quarter notes. As in the previous examples, 4/2 can equate to four half notes or four pairs of unconnected quarter notes. Likewise, 4/8 refers to four eighth notes that can be divided into two pairs of interconnected quarter notes. A time signature in simple meter will always have a 4, 3, or 2 at the top. Time signatures in compound meter, on the other hand, have three notes.

6/8 time is equal to six eighth notes, or compound duple (two pairs of three notes) or simple triple (three pairs of two notes). The latter quotes to 3/4 time (o three quarter notes), so 6/8 is compound duple. To simplify compound duple, think of it as two dotted quarter notes - all compound meters have one form or another of dotted note as its beat. 6/8 and 6/4 are the common examples of compound duple - lesser known are 6/2 and 6/16.

9/8 is compound triple - it can be simplified as three dotted quarter notes, thus making it triple. Since each beat is three notes, the meter is compound. Any time signature with a 9 on it is a compound triple. 9/8 is the most common, but others include 9/2, 9/4, and 9/16.

Finally, 12/8 is compound quadruple - it can be simplified as 4 dotted quarter notes, and each beat is three pairs of notes. Any time signature with a 12 on it (12/8, 12/2, 12/4, and 12/16) is a compound quadruple meter.