In simple meter, the beat is divisible by two. Which of the following is a simple meter example?

• A. 2/4
• B. 6/8
• C. 9/8
• D. 3/8

Answer: (A)

Beats in simple meter divide into two equal parts, while in compound meter the beat divides into three equal parts. Two-four has two beats per measure and the beat is a quarter note, which can be split into two eighth notes; that clean two-part division within each beat makes it a textbook example of simple meter. Six-eight and nine-eight are built from a beat that groups as three eighth notes (the dotted-quarter equals three eighths), so they are compound meters. Three-eight has three eighth-note beats per measure, which doesn’t fit the straightforward two-part beat structure as clearly; the clearest simple-meter example here is two-four.