Objectives for this topic

This topic tests your understanding of time signatures and ability to identify them. You will be given a line of music and will need to choose a suitable time signature for it. The genre of music, including the title of the piece, will not be revealed immediately so you will need to use your knowledge of note duration to correctly identify a suitable time signature.

Instructions

Read the Time Signature Guessing Game resource, and name the correct time signatures for the line of music shown. The answers are available on the next slide for you to check against your own answers and evaluate the accuracy of your knowledge. Open the link to the sheet music, to reveal the time signature the piece is written in. If you want to listen to the time signature, the audio clips are also provided for each piece.

DOWNLOAD – Time Signature Guessing Game

Read the support section below for more help with this activity.

Review

Have you correctly identified the time signature of the stave notation given?
Have you attempted the challenge task to identify the time signature by ear?
Can you confidently explain the differences between 2/4 and 4/4 time, as well as 3/4 and 6/8 time?

Support activity for this topic

Analyse each line of music from slides 2 and 3. The time signatures link to the learning in this module and can be calculated using your knowledge of note duration. Then try the challenge activity on slide 5 which tests your listening skills by trying to identify a less common time signature through listening alone. Slide 6 and 7 explains this time signature further.

The answers to the main task are found on slide 4.

Extension activity for this topic

If you enjoy testing your knowledge of time signatures, why not try these two quizzes? The first tests your notation skills and the second your listening skills. Good luck!

WATCH – Name the Time Signature Quiz – Music Matters

WATCH – Time Signature Listening Quiz – ClassicFM