Signature
DEFINITION
A key signature is a symbol placed at the beginning of the staff, indicating in which key the following composition is to be played. A key signature may consist of sharp sign, flat signs, and sometimes natural signs. A time signature is a symbol placed at the beginning of the staff, indicating the meter of the composition. A time signature consists of two numbers; the top number indicates the number of beats in each measure, and the bottom number indicates the kind of note that is counted as one beat (e.g., a time signature of 3/4 would indicate that there are three beats to each measure, and that a quarter note is one beat).