4/4 time signature
4/4 means four beats in every measure, and the quarter note gets one beat. It is the most common time signature in Western music, so it is also called common time and is sometimes written as a large C.
If you have ever tapped your foot along to a pop song, you were almost certainly counting in 4/4. It is the default meter of rock, pop, hip-hop, country, most folk songs and a huge share of classical music. Learning to read and count it well is the first big step in reading rhythm.
What does 4/4 mean?
The top 4 says there are four beats in each measure. The bottom 4 says the quarter note is the note that gets one beat. So a measure of 4/4 can hold four quarter notes, or two half notes, or one whole note, or any mix that adds up to the same length. If you want a refresher on how long each shape lasts, see note values.
| Note or rest | Beats in 4/4 |
|---|---|
| Whole note | 4 |
| Dotted half note | 3 |
| Half note | 2 |
| Quarter note | 1 |
| Eighth note | 1/2 |
| Sixteenth note | 1/4 |
Why is 4/4 called common time?
Because it is the most common. Musicians also write it as a large letter C in place of the two numbers, and call it common time. Many people think the C stands for the word "common," but the symbol actually comes from older notation, where a broken circle meant a certain kind of meter. The C that looks like a broken circle simply stuck around. The symbol means exactly the same as 4/4.
How do you count 4/4?
Count "1 2 3 4" at a steady speed, starting again at 1 in each measure. When there are eighth notes, add "and" between the numbers: "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and." For sixteenth notes the usual count is "1 e and a 2 e and a," saying "e" as in "eee" and "a" as in "uh."
Which beats are strong in 4/4?
Beat 1 is the strongest, the downbeat. Beat 3 is the second strongest. Beats 2 and 4 are weaker, and in much popular music they are the ones that get a snare drum hit or a hand clap, called the backbeat. So the pattern is strong, weak, medium, weak: ONE two THREE four, with ONE the heaviest.
Practice tip: clap on beats 2 and 4 while tapping your foot on every beat. That is the backbeat feel of countless songs, and it teaches you where the beats really sit.
How does 4/4 compare with 2/4 and 2/2?
Four beats can feel like two groups of two. That is why 4/4 is called quadruple meter but can sound like a fast 2/4 when the music moves quickly. Cut time, written 2/2, has two half-note beats in each measure, and it holds the same total length as 4/4. Composers choose it to show that the music should be felt in two big beats instead of four. Read about it in cut time.
Compare 4/4 with 3/4, which has three beats and swings in a waltz, and with 6/8, which has six eighth notes but is felt in two. These feel quite different even though some of them have the same number of eighth notes per measure: 4/4 has eight eighth notes, 6/8 has six, and 12/8 has twelve.
What are some examples of music in 4/4?
Nearly every song you hear on the radio is in 4/4. Among folk and classical pieces that learners often play, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" (from his Symphony No. 9) are both written in 4/4. Many hymns are in 4/4 as well, as are many jazz standards. A drum beat that goes boom, tick, boom, tick in a steady four is the 4/4 feel in its simplest form.
How can you tell if a piece is in 4/4 by listening?
- Tap your foot to the steady pulse you feel.
- Count 1 2 3 4 along with it and see whether the accents fall every fourth beat.
- Check whether the accents make a pattern of four. If you feel three or two, try that instead.
- Listen for the backbeat on 2 and 4, a strong sign of 4/4 in pop and rock.
If you count four and everything lines up, with the chord changes arriving on beat 1, you are in 4/4. Many songs also change chords every two or four measures, which gives you a bigger frame to count in.
Common mistakes when reading 4/4
- Counting eighth notes as beats. In 4/4 an eighth note is half a beat, so two eighth notes make one count.
- Forgetting that a rest takes up time. A quarter rest is a full beat of silence, so keep counting through it.
- Rushing through long notes. Hold a whole note for the full four counts.
- Writing a measure that does not add up. Four beats exactly, no more and no less.
Once 4/4 feels natural, the other time signatures are variations on the same idea. Return to the overview of time signatures to see them side by side.
Check yourself
1. What does the bottom 4 in 4/4 mean?
Answer: The quarter note gets one beat. The bottom number names the counted note value.
2. What is 4/4 also called?
Answer: Common time. The C symbol and the name common time both mean 4/4.
3. How many beats does a half note get in 4/4?
Answer: 2. A half note is two quarter notes long.
4. Which beats are usually the backbeat in 4/4?
Answer: 2 and 4. Snare and clap usually land on 2 and 4.
5. How many eighth notes fit in one measure of 4/4?
Answer: Eight. Each quarter-note beat holds two eighth notes.