This is a list of musical compositions or pieces of music that have unusual time signatures. "Unusual" is here defined to be any time signature other than simple time signatures with top numerals of 2, 3, or 4 and bottom numerals of 2, 4, or 8, and compound time signatures with top numerals of 6, 9, or 12 and bottom numerals 4, 8, or 16. The conventions of musical notation typically allow for more than one written representation of a particular piece. The chosen time signature largely depends upon musical context, personal taste of the composer or transcriber, and the graphic layout on the written page. Frequently, published editions were written in a specific time signature to visually signify the tempo for slow movements in symphonies, sonatas, and concerti. A perfectly consistent unusual metrical pattern may be notated in a more familiar time signature that does not correspond to it. For example, the Passacaglia from Britten's opera Peter Grimes consists of variations over a recurring bass line eleven beats in length but is notated in ordinary time, with each variation lasting 2 3/4 bars, and therefore commencing each time one crotchet earlier in the bar than the preceding one.

Upper number of 1

Upper number of 2

Upper number of 3

Upper number of 4

Upper number of 5

Upper number of 6

Upper number of 7

Upper number of 8

Upper number of 9

Time signatures that group nine beats into are very common in music. This section only lists other groupings, such as.

Upper number of 10

Upper number of 11

Upper number of 12

Upper number of 13

Upper number of 14

Upper number of 15

Upper number of 16

Upper number of 17

Upper number of 18

Upper number of 19

Upper number between 20 and 29

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

Upper number between 30 and 39

30

31

32

33

35

36

37

Upper number between 40 and 49

40

41

42

43

44

47

48

Upper number between 50 and 59

51

53

Upper number more than 59

77

86

101

256

Fractional time signatures

Irrational time signatures

Combined unusual signatures

Notes and references