Duple and quadruple metre

Duple metre

Duple metre (or duple meter in US spelling, also known as duple time) is a musical metre characterized by a primary division of 2 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 2 and multiples (simple) or 6 and multiples (compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with Template:Time signature (cut time, also notated as cut time), Template:Time signature, and fast Template:Time signature being the most common examples.

Shown below are a simple and a compound duple drum pattern.

<score sound="1" override_midi="Simple duple drum pattern.mid">

   \new Staff <<
      \new voice \relative c' {
          \clef percussion
          \numericTimeSignature
          \time 2/4
          \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 100
          \stemDown \repeat volta 2 { g4 d' }
      }
      \new voice \relative c {
          \override NoteHead.style = #'cross
          \stemUp \repeat volta 2 { a8 a a a }
      }
  >></score>

<score sound="1" override_midi="Compound duple drum pattern.mid">

  \new Staff <<
      \new voice \relative c' {
          \clef percussion
          \numericTimeSignature
          \time 6/8
          \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4. = 80
          \stemDown \repeat volta 2 { g4. d' }
      }
      \new voice \relative c {
          \override NoteHead.style = #'cross
          \stemUp \repeat volta 2 { a8 a a a a a }
      }
  >></score>

Though the upper figure must be divisible by 2 in duple metre, the contrary is not necessarily true. For instance, in the first movement of Maurice Ravel's Piano Trio, the Template:Time signature time signature is subdivided as Template:Serif (3 beats) rather than a Template:Serif subdivision (2 beats, duple metre). The movement is in odd time, not duple metre, even though the upper figure Template:Serif is divisible by 2.

Duple time is especially common in marches (especially in American march music), where the duple meter provides a clear upbeat/downbeat feel that is suitable for marching. Duple time is also common in many styles including the polka, well known for its obvious "oom-pah" duple feel. Compare to the waltz, a form in triple metre, where the feel is an "oom-pah-pah" triple feel.

Quadruple metre

Quadruple metre (or quadruple meter in US spelling, also known as quadruple time) is a musical metre characterized in modern practice by a primary division of 4 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 4 in the upper figure of the time signature, with Template:Time signature (common time, also notated as common time) being the most common example.

Shown below are a simple and a compound quadruple drum pattern.

<score sound="1" override_midi="Characteristic rock drum pattern.mid">

   \new Staff <<
      \new voice \relative c' {
          \clef percussion
          \numericTimeSignature
          \time 4/4
          \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 100
          \stemDown \repeat volta 2 { g4 d' g, d' }
      }
      \new voice \relative c {
          \override NoteHead.style = #'cross
          \stemUp \repeat volta 2 { a8 a a a a a a a }
      }
  >></score>

<score sound="1" override_midi="Compound quadruple drum pattern.mid">

   \new Staff <<
      \new voice \relative c' {
          \clef percussion
          \numericTimeSignature
          \time 12/8
          \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4. = 80
          \stemDown \repeat volta 2 { g4. d' g, d' }
      }
      \new voice \relative c {
          \override NoteHead.style = #'cross
          \stemUp \repeat volta 2 { a8 a a a a a a a a a a a }
      }
  >></score>

The most common time signature in rock, blues, country, funk, and pop is Template:Time signature. Although jazz writing has become more adventurous since Dave Brubeck's Time Out, the majority of jazz and jazz standards are still in "common time" (Template:Time signature).