Semibreve = whole note (a "breve" is a double whole note, hence the term semibreve) Here is the translation, which helps if you're trying to understand time signatures: The British still use the old-fashioned terms. The first is simple triple, as Wheat mentions the second is compound duple. Now, if you have the same six eighth notes in 6/8 time, you would count them ONE-two-three-FOUR-five-six ONE-two-three-FOUR-five-six. You would count them ONE-and-two-and-three-and ONE-and-two-and-three-and. Suppose you have six eighth notes in 3/4 time. Why isn't it the same signature, because 3/4 is the same number as 6/8? Well, they aren't quite the same as we have said one is simple triple and the other is compound duple. Let's compare 3/4 and 6/8 in more detail.
So, 3/4 is simple triple, 6/8 is compound duple, 9/8 is compound triple, and 4/4 is simple duple. If the result of the division is a multiple of 2, it's duple, otherwise it's triple. If you can divide the number by 3, then it's generally compound, otherwise it's simple. So, what do you do when you have a number of beats that is a multiple of both, such as six? Here's where it gets a bit complicated. triple have to do with how many beats there are in the measure, or how many strong beats are in the measure: duple has a multiple of two, simple has a multiple of three. compound have to do with either how the beats subdivide, or how the stronger and weaker beats are divided: simple divides in twos, compound divides in threes. These distinctions can be a bit confusing, but I'll have a go. Time signatures are either simple or compound, and either duple or triple.
Minim music full#
The other concepts Wheat mentions are necessary to a full understanding of time signatures as well. To expand a little bit on what Wheat has said, the easy way to look at time signatures such as 3/4 is to say that it means simply "three quarter notes per measure." Likewise, 6/8 is six eighth notes per measure, 4/4 four quarter notes per measure, and so on.