How does a 3/4 time signature differ from a 6/8 time signature?
I mean the bottom number tells us what note gets one beat right? Like if it’s 4, it’s a quarter note, or if it’s 8, it’s an eighth note. The number above tells us how many beats in a measure(?), so 3/4 means 3 beats in a measure with quarter notes as one beat. So a 6/8 has 6 beats, so I guess thats different.
Now how about this 3/8 and 3/4. Both have three beats in a measure with just different notes signifying one beat. What’s the use of that if that’s the case?
Now I am assuming I am wrong in the last statement, so here’s another question. Maybe 3/8 means faster than 3/4, I am not entirely sure because I still hold to the assumption that they are the same. So if I say, like there are notations above the staff right, like where they say eighth note = 120, which I think stands for beats per minute, so is it the same as 60 bpm when I use the 3/4 signature instead?
Also what does it mean for beats to be in measures? Does something significant happen to music once a measure ends?
Sorry for all the questions because this is not taught in detail in our music classes. The lesson just teach this is a quarter note, the top number says beats per measure but does not say what do those actually mean in music. Hopefully someone answers this.
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Measures are a simple way to keep the performer and songwriter sane. There is nothing to literally stop someone writing a song in 128/4. But it would be harder to keep track for a songwriter and probably even harder for performers who have to learn the song. Can you imagine coordinating a song with different instruments and parts and telling the performers, “yeah lets replay the 89th quarter note to the 92nd quarter note. It doesn’t sound right”. It is a lot easier to say “hmm let’s redo the 22nd measure”
It is sort of like having sentences and paragraphs in an essay.
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