What does the bottom number of the time signature mean

The top number tells you how many beats are in each measure while the bottom number tells you what value those beats are. If the bottom number is a 4, it means the beats are quarter notes.

1. What does the bottom number tell you in a time signature?
2. What does the bottom 4 in a 4/4 time signature mean?

What does the bottom number tell you in a time signature?

Common Time Signatures

The top number of the time signature tells how many beats are in each measure, and the bottom number tells which note will represent one beat.

What does the bottom 4 in a 4/4 time signature mean?

A time signature of 4/4 means count 4 (top number) quarter notes (bottom number) to each bar. So the pulse, or beat, is counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. That means all the notes in each bar must add up to 4 quarter notes.