Topmusicanswers
The top number tells you how many beats there are in one measure. The bottom number tells you what kind of note is considered one beat. In the first example, the bottom number is 2, which means one half note is considered one beat. The top number is 3, which means one measure has three half note beats.
What is a 4 count in music?
Counting 4/4 time
The bottom number 4 in the time signature in the figure tells you that the quarter note gets the beat, and the top number 4 tells you that each measure contains four beats, or four quarter notes. Because 4/4 time is so often used in popular types of music, it's frequently referred to as common time.
