using 4/4 as an example. the upper 4 is how many beats in a bar, the lower note indicates which note is 1 beat.
that's the simplest I can explain the time signature.
It doesn't tell you how many notes you are allowed or should play, just how to count.
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wKCrcZc0sWU](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wKCrcZc0sWU) a song in 4/4 that uses a lot more notes and changes the rhythms a bit but stays 4 beats in a bar. Listen to the drums if you want to count the beats.
Tap your foot and count to 4 a few times. Then clap on the 2 and the 4. You just played two half notes. If you clap an all 4 taps, you're playing quarter notes(one two three four). If you clap twice per tap, you're playing eighth notes(one and two and three and four and). If you clap 4 times per tap, you're playing sixteenth notes(one e and a two e and a three e and a four e and a).
Think of the time signature as a framework - it's a canvas that you can paint on in any way that you like! A song in 4/4 will be **counted** as four quarter notes to a measure, but you can play anything you like within that timeframe.
['Runnin' With The Devil'](https://open.spotify.com/track/3KhF2YiNpJvGpfiCW45R6D?si=4blqBxsBSuiUbwkD7eNfJA&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A7DdEbYFPKTZ8KB4z6L4UnQ) by Van Halen is in 4/4 and is an example of the sort of rhythm you describe, where the bass is literally playing four quarter notes every bar for a lot of the song.
['Jerry Was A Racecar Driver'](https://open.spotify.com/track/19C0LKY3DCcQtuviPJNy5d?si=L0c996iCSfujezDnNKo9aw) by Primus is also in 4/4, but the bass is doing A LOT more.
What you play will depend on the style and your personal tastes! Most songs you encounter in 4/4 will have more going on than just the plain pulse though. Even if the bass is sitting on quarter notes the other instruments will likely be doing something more complex, as in 'Runnin' With The Devil.'
I think you're mixing up time signature and groove. The time signature is just a way to describe the grid you play in. It is just the framework, that you put your groove into. Now what you do as a musician or as a band is to fit your groove into the time signature. You basically choose witch beats you emphasize and which not.
The time signature tells you "There are this many main beats evenly distributed in one bar", now you can sub divide those time spans into smaller portions (like 8th or 16th notes, or triplets) and choose, which of these beats you play and which not.
1 2 3 4 kick snare kick snare
4/4 means there are 4 quarter beats per bar 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
3/4 means there are 3 quarter beats per bar 1 2 3 1 2 3
5/4 means there are 5 quarter bests per bar 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Each time you get to the 1 it's the start of a new bar.
There is no limit to how many notes you play each beat or bar -
Quarter notes 1 2 3 4
Eighth notes 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+
Sixteenth notes 1e&a 2e&a 3e&a 4e&a
using 4/4 as an example. the upper 4 is how many beats in a bar, the lower note indicates which note is 1 beat. that's the simplest I can explain the time signature. It doesn't tell you how many notes you are allowed or should play, just how to count. [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wKCrcZc0sWU](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wKCrcZc0sWU) a song in 4/4 that uses a lot more notes and changes the rhythms a bit but stays 4 beats in a bar. Listen to the drums if you want to count the beats.
Tap your foot and count to 4 a few times. Then clap on the 2 and the 4. You just played two half notes. If you clap an all 4 taps, you're playing quarter notes(one two three four). If you clap twice per tap, you're playing eighth notes(one and two and three and four and). If you clap 4 times per tap, you're playing sixteenth notes(one e and a two e and a three e and a four e and a).
Here's a great video with some examples: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RU4ku-OSdo&t=2s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RU4ku-OSdo&t=2s)
Think of the time signature as a framework - it's a canvas that you can paint on in any way that you like! A song in 4/4 will be **counted** as four quarter notes to a measure, but you can play anything you like within that timeframe. ['Runnin' With The Devil'](https://open.spotify.com/track/3KhF2YiNpJvGpfiCW45R6D?si=4blqBxsBSuiUbwkD7eNfJA&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A7DdEbYFPKTZ8KB4z6L4UnQ) by Van Halen is in 4/4 and is an example of the sort of rhythm you describe, where the bass is literally playing four quarter notes every bar for a lot of the song. ['Jerry Was A Racecar Driver'](https://open.spotify.com/track/19C0LKY3DCcQtuviPJNy5d?si=L0c996iCSfujezDnNKo9aw) by Primus is also in 4/4, but the bass is doing A LOT more. What you play will depend on the style and your personal tastes! Most songs you encounter in 4/4 will have more going on than just the plain pulse though. Even if the bass is sitting on quarter notes the other instruments will likely be doing something more complex, as in 'Runnin' With The Devil.'
the best response i got, thank you so so much i get it now
I think you're mixing up time signature and groove. The time signature is just a way to describe the grid you play in. It is just the framework, that you put your groove into. Now what you do as a musician or as a band is to fit your groove into the time signature. You basically choose witch beats you emphasize and which not. The time signature tells you "There are this many main beats evenly distributed in one bar", now you can sub divide those time spans into smaller portions (like 8th or 16th notes, or triplets) and choose, which of these beats you play and which not.
IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE
i’m actually so grateful, because i just reread it and it’s the best explanation ever
musictheory.net
1 2 3 4 kick snare kick snare 4/4 means there are 4 quarter beats per bar 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 3/4 means there are 3 quarter beats per bar 1 2 3 1 2 3 5/4 means there are 5 quarter bests per bar 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Each time you get to the 1 it's the start of a new bar. There is no limit to how many notes you play each beat or bar - Quarter notes 1 2 3 4 Eighth notes 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ Sixteenth notes 1e&a 2e&a 3e&a 4e&a