Time Signatures
Identify the meter — simple, compound and irregular — across 12 time signatures at 4 difficulty levels.
General Recognition Trainer
Practice identifying any time signature from a mixed pool
Simple Meters
Compound Meters
Irregular Meters
Asymmetric — usually 3+2 or 2+3 grouping
Jazz · Prog rock · Film
Fast asymmetric — 3+2+2 or 2+2+3
Balkan · Prog · Math rock
Quick 5 — feels like a skipping step
Balkan · Modern classical
Seven heavy beats — expansive and driving
Pink Floyd · Radiohead
Three quick 8th notes — fast and light
Baroque · Dance
What are time signatures?
A time signature tells you two things: how many beats are in each measure (the top number) and what note value counts as one beat (the bottom number). 4/4 means four quarter-note beats per bar — the most common signature in Western music. 6/8 means six eighth-note beats, but is usually felt as two groups of three, giving it a lilting, compound feel very different from the straight 2/4 march.
Training yourself to identify time signatures by ear means recognising where the strong beat lands, how many beats before it repeats, and whether the subdivisions feel duple (straight) or triple (compound). Start with 4/4 and 3/4, then introduce compound meters like 6/8 and 12/8, and finally tackle the asymmetric meters: 5/4, 7/8, and beyond.