Question: I have seen many different song sheets for the Beatles Song *Norwegian Wood* using time signatures of 3/4, 6/8 and 12/8. My question is, why are they all different, why is there no consensus? What I hear in the original are 2 different time signatures (and 2 different modes): the verses with a kind of 3/4 feel and the chorus 12/8. Shouldn't the time signatures convey to the way you interpret the song?

[![Original lead sheet](https://i.stack.imgur.com/w1rN7.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/w1rN7.png) original lead sheet
[![3/4 Piano arrangement](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8C1ZM.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8C1ZM.png) some piano arrangement
[![6/8 Piano arrangement](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1nBNs.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1nBNs.png) another piano arrangement

Answer: 
Well, they are pretty much the same thing, just differently grouped. Note that the 3/4 is taking a different base unit, so here 1/4 is what would be 1/8 in the other cases. So clearly our base is a 3-divided unit. 6/8 combines two such 3-divided units, 12/8 combines 4 such units. 3/4 is one such unit. So basically you get

```
1 2 3 . 1 2 3 . 1 2 3 . 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 . 1 2 3 . 1 2 3 . 1 2 3 | ...

```

and

```
1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | ...

```

and

```
1 2 3 . 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 . 1 2 3 | ...

```

You need to keep in mind that we are dealing with very conventional music, i. e. symmetric phrases. We can always interpret a four bar phrase of single units as a single bar of four units and the other way round. Thus you get different ways to bar the whole thing.
Ballroom dance music characteristically has a fixed beat. Popular music is re-recorded to provide a cover version with a fixed beat for ballroom dancing. Except for special purposes like that, there is no reason for performance music to have the same beat from one note to the next -- and even the notion of 'note' comes from specific instruments -- the vocal part is never sung exactly to the instrumental notes.

The time signature that is selected for a particular transcription is part of a communication between the publisher and the reader. As much as anything else, it depends on who the intended reader is.

3/4 time signature is common because it's an easy time signature that beginner musicians are familiar with.