What time signature is this song?
Not sure whether your song is in 4/4, 3/4 or something trickier? Count along with it, use the reference below, or look it up.
Work it out by ear in 3 steps
- Find the pulse. Tap your foot to the steady beat you’d naturally nod along to — that’s one beat.
- Find beat 1. Listen for where the pattern feels like it resets — usually the strongest accent, often the kick drum or the chord change. Count “1” there.
- Count to the next reset. Keep counting “1, 2, 3, 4…” until it loops back to a strong “1”. If it resets every 4 beats it’s in four (4/4); every 3 is a waltz (3/4); every 5 or 7 means an odd meter.
The quick version
The top number is how many beats are in each bar; the bottom number is which note value gets one beat (4 = a quarter note). So 4/4 is four quarter-note beats per bar — by far the most common in pop, rock and metal. 3/4 is a waltz feel. 6/8 is counted in two big beats, each split into three (think a rolling “1-2-3, 4-5-6”). 5/4 and 7/4 are the classic “odd” meters that feel like a bar with one beat added or dropped.
Look it up
Enter a song and we’ll search the web for its time signature. It’s a best-effort guess — great for well-known songs, less reliable for obscure ones — so always double-check by counting along.
Songs by time signature
Reference points to match by ear. Compound meters (6/8) count in two groups of three; verify against the actual recording.