Yet another “signature” on the staff is the time signature. It tells you how many beats are in a measure and which note value gets the beat. The top number represents the number of beats in the measure, and the bottom number is which note value gets the beat. For instance 4/4 means that there are 4 beats in a measure and the quarter note gets the beat; four quarter notes per measure.

Often times, a big C is placed where a 4/4 time signature would go. This just means “common time” and is still in 4/4.