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time signature

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music | 1996 | | Copyright

time signature. Sign placed after the clef and key-signature at the beginning of a piece of music, or during the course of it, to indicate the time or metre of the music. Normally it comprises two numbers, one above the other, the lower defining the unit of measurement in relation to the whole-note, the upper indicating the number of those units in each measure (bar). Thus the time signature 3/4 indicates three quarter-notes (crotchets) to the measure, one of 6/8 that there are six eighth-notes (quavers) in the measure. But see also compound time and simple time.

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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "time signature." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "time signature." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-timesignature.html

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "time signature." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-timesignature.html

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time signature

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

time sig·na·ture • n. Mus. an indication of rhythm following a clef, generally expressed as a fraction with the denominator defining the beat as a division of a whole note and the numerator giving the number of beats in each bar.

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"time signature." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"time signature." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-timesignature.html

"time signature." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-timesignature.html

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