Time signatures in music represent a way of expressing the number of beats in a measure and how much each beat is worth. For example, a "4/4" time signature means that there are four beats in a measure, and each beat has a value of a quarter note. A time signature of "12/8" means there are 12 beats in a measure, and each beat has the value of an eighth note.
Time signatures are very straight-forward. The table below shows some examples:
If you are new to music, the "C" with the bar is called "cut time", and basically is equivalent to 2/2 time. The "C" is known as common time, and is equivalent to 4/4 time.
Time signatures are normally centered above the first line of music or words, in combination with the key signature. Often in music there is a change in time signature -- this is represented in braille where it appears, with a space preceding and following the time signature.
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