Duple metre (or Am. duple meter, also known as duple time) is a musical

metre The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

characterized by a ''primary'' division of 2 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 2 and multiples (

simple Simple or SIMPLE may refer to: *Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple Arts and entertainment * ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track * "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018 * "Simple", a song by John ...

) or 6 and multiples ( compound) in the upper figure of the

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

, with ( cut time), , and (at a fast tempo) being the most common examples. Shown below are a simple and a compound duple drum pattern. : \new Staff << \new voice \relative c' \new voice \relative c'' >> : \new Staff << \new voice \relative c' \new voice \relative c'' >> Though the upper number ''must be'' divisible by 2, the mere fact that 2 evenly divides the upper figure does not in and of itself indicate a duple metre; it is only a prerequisite. The most common time signature in

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

, and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

is . Although jazz writing has become more adventurous since

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

's ''Time Out'', the majority of jazz and jazz standards are still in "

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

" (). Duple time is common in many styles including the

polka Polka is a dance style and genre of dance music in originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though generally associated with Czech and Central European culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the ...

, well known for its obvious "

oom-pah Oom-pah, Oompah, Ooumpah or Umpapa is an onomatopoeic term describing the rhythmic sound of a deep brass instrument in combination with the response of other instruments or registers in a band, a form of background ostinato. The oom-pah soun ...

" duple feel. Compare to the

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

Quadruple metre

Quadruple metre (also ''quadruple time'') is a musical metre characterized in modern practice by a primary division of 4 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 4 in the upper figure of the

, with (''common time'', also notated as ) being the most common example. Shown below are a simple and a compound quadruple drum pattern. : \new Staff << \new voice \relative c' \new voice \relative c'' >> : \new Staff << \new voice \relative c' \new voice \relative c'' >>

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duple meter Time signatures