Time signature
lastmod 2023-05-01created 2023-05-014 edits
A time signature (Korean: bakjapyo, 拍子標; also bakja giho) indicates the type of meter of a piece of music. Time signatures are always written in the form of a fraction (分數). A time signature is marked on each staff at the beginning of a piece and wherever the meter changes. At the head of a piece, the order is clef, key signature, then time signature.
How to read
In Korea, a time signature \(\frac{y}{x}\) is often read like a mathematical fraction as "x-bunui y-bakja" ("y over x beats"), but this is incorrect; "x-buneum y-bakja" ("x-th-note y beats") is the correct way to read it. It means that an "x-th note" makes up one beat and that the length of "y" of those "x-th notes" is the length of one measure. For example, '4-buneum 4-bakja' (quarter-note 4 beats) means that four quarter notes fit in one measure.
Meaning of time signatures
When you look at sheet music, you'll find the clef - key signature - time signature in that order
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It specifies how many of a given note value go into one measure.
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Example:
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