Grade Three Music Theory - Lesson 7: Adding Barlines or a Time Signature to a Melody

New at Grade Three

In your grade three music theory exam you might have to add a time signature to a short melody.
Although you also had this task at grade two, it’s a bit harder at grade three.
This is partly because the time signatures 3/4 and 6/8 have the same number of quavers in them, so it’s harder to tell them apart.
You’ll also find the rhythms are a bit more complicated, which might include demisemiquavers, dotted notes and tied notes.

The time signatures you need to choose from at grade three are:

• 2/2, 3/2, 4/2 (minim beat)
• 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 (crotchet beat)
• 3/8 (quaver beat)
• 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 (dotted crotchet beat – these are the compound time signatures)

Adding a Time Signature

• Count the total number of crotchets in the first bar.
• Decide if crotchets are the main beat.
• Look at groups of beamed notes. Beamed notes are normally grouped to equal one beat, (or sometimes one bar).
• Decide whether the music is in duple, triple or quadruple time (is the bar divided into 2, 3 or 4 main beats?)
• If the main beat is dotted, it will be compound time. If it’s not dotted, it will be simple time.
• Choose the most likely time signature and test it against the other bars, to make sure you are right.

Here’s an example question.
Add the time signature to this melody:

• Count the note values in the first bar: 1?  + ? + ? + ? + ? + ? + ? = 3 crotchets.
• Crotchets are the main beat. (Remember the main beat can only be 2, 3 or 4. It can’t be 1? (minims) and it can’t be 6 (quavers)).
• Semiquavers are grouped in fours, more proof that the main beat is a crotchet.
• In bar 3, there are three beamed groups. It’s triple time.
• The time signature is 3/4.
• We should be able to divide up each bar into 3 groups of notes which equal one crotchet:

Notice that the last bar doesn’t have a barline at the end – it’s not a complete bar, so it doesn’t matter how many beats there are in it.

Another example

• The first bar contains eight crotchets.
• Crotchets can’t be the main beat, because there are too many of them. minims are the main beat.
• There are four minims per bar.
• The time signature is 4/2.

A more difficult example

• The first bar contains one dotted minim. This could be equal to two dotted crotchets or three normal crotchets. We need to look at the next bar to figure this one out.
• Bar 2 shows us that the quavers are grouped in threes. Three quavers = one dotted crotchet. The main beat is a dotted crotchet.
• There are two dotted crotchet beats per bar. It’s compound time.
• The time signature is 6/8.
  
  

Adding Barlines

You might be asked to add barlines to a melody.
Look carefully at the time signature and write down the following information:

• How many beats
• Type of beats

Take your time – it’s easy to make mistakes when you’re in a rush!

Carefully count the notes, marking off each complete beat.
When you’ve reached the number of beats you need to make a complete bar, use your ruler and draw a neat barline quite close to the first note of the next bar.
Continue until you get to the end of the piece.

Pay very careful attention to the end of the piece.

• If there is a double barline, the last bar must be complete.
• If there isn’t a barline, the last bar can contain any number of notes, (as long as it’s not longer than a normal bar!) It might or might not be complete, so be careful.

Here’s an example:

The time signature is 4/4 so each bar needs

• Four crotchet beats

Count and mark off the crotchet beats until you reach four, then draw a barline:

Repeat:

Double check the last bar – there is a barline here so it should be a complete bar: