Editing Time signature (section)

== Time signature notation ==
Most time signatures consist of two numerals, one stacked above the other:
<!-- Note to editors:
 We deliberately describe the lower numeral first and the upper numeral later,
 as this is clearer.  Please don't change it unless you can make it even clearer.
-->
* The ''lower'' numeral indicates the note value that the signature is counting.  This number is always a [[Power of two|power of 2]] (unless the time signature is [[Time signature#Irrational meters|irrational]]), usually 2, 4 or 8, but less often 16 is also used, usually in Baroque music. 2 corresponds to the half note (minim), 4 to the quarter note (crotchet), 8 to the eighth note (quaver), 16 to the sixteenth note (semiquaver).
* The ''upper'' numeral indicates how many such note values constitute a [[bar (music)|bar]].
For instance, {{music|time|2|4}} means two [[quarter-note|quarter-notes]] (crotchets) per bar, while {{music|time|4|8}} means four [[eighth-note]]s (quavers) per bar. The most common time signatures are {{music|time|2|4}}, {{music|time|3|4}}, and {{music|time|4|4}}.

=== Symbolic signatures ===
{{anchor|common time}}<!--[[Common-time]] and [[Common time]] redirect directly here.-->

{{redirect|Common time|the short story|Common Time|the Field Music album|Commontime (album){{!}}''Commontime'' (album)|the time period|Common Era}}

By convention, two special symbols are sometimes used for {{music|time|4|4}} and {{music|time|2|2}}:
* The symbol {{music|common-time}} is sometimes used for {{music|time|4|4}} time, also called ''common time'' or ''imperfect time''. 
* The symbol {{music|cut-time}} is sometimes used in place of {{music|time|2|2}} and is called ''[[alla breve]]'' or, colloquially, ''cut time'' or ''cut common time''. 
These symbols derive from [[Time signature#Mensural time signatures|mensural time signatures]], described below.