Note Groupings

Grouping of notes depend on the time signature. In simple time and compound time, notes are generally grouped in beats. The exception is 4/4 time where you cannot beam over beats two and three as we see in the example below.



Photo credit: Internet Archive Book Images via Foter.com / No known copyright restrictions

In 2/4 time we see each beat, but can also be beamed as one complete bar.


Photo credit: Internet Archive Book Images via Foter.com / No known copyright restrictions


The example below shows 3/4 time which is three beats per bar. We can see that notes can be beamed by beat or beamed altogether in one bar.


Photo credit: The British Library via Foter.com / No known copyright restrictions

In the example below, the music is in 3/8 in the first bar where the whole bar is beamed together, 9/8 in the second and third bars where the notes are beamed in three beats and 6/8 in the fifth bar where the notes are beamed in 2 beats.


Photo credit: Internet Archive Book Images via Foter.com / No known copyright restrictions

2/4 can be beamed into two beats or as one complete bar.
3/4 can be beamed into three beats or as one complete bar.
4/4 is not beamed over beats two and three.

6/8 is beamed into two beats.
9/8 is beamed into three beats.
12/8 is beamed into four beats.

Baxter, Harry and Michael Baxter. The Right Way To Read Music. Tadworth: Right Way, 1993. Print, pp. 72 and 73.