④ On top of it all, the rhythm of the melody is composed of a variety of subdivisions of the beat. Notice also that the measures are separated by bar lines. And don’t forget: these recurring cycles of four quarter note beats can be felt because the first beat of every measure is accented. So this pulse is made up of four quarter note beats per measure. The number on top indicates how many beats there are in every measure (in this example, four) while the number at the bottom indicates what the value of the beats are (in this example also four, which means quarter notes). It specifies how the pulse is grouped into equal measures. In beats per minute, it would be approximately 80. This music should be performed neither slow nor fast but somewhere in between. This particular one is Italian and it translates to ‘ At a walking pace’. ② The word Andante is one out of hundreds of tempo indications in various languages. Please note that this is for visualization purposes only the pulse is not shown in real sheet music. Every one of these beats is the same length: in this case, they’re all quarter notes (crotchets). ① This is a visual representation of the pulse. The circled numbers are explained below the diagram. Here’s how it all comes together in written music. On top of the pulse, we get melodies and chords that are made up of a variety of notes –some long, some short and also rests whenever appropriate. Note: The flags of eighth notes and notes of smaller value are often joined together to make them easier to read. Three-eight: three half note beats in every measure: Two-two: two half note beats in every measure: Three-four: three quarter note beats in every measure:įour-four: four quarter note beats in every measure: Two-four: two quarter note beats in every measure: Here are some of the most common time signatures:

So when the bottom number of a time signature is a 2, the beats are half note beats. For example, if the bottom number is a 2, work out ‘a whole note divided by 2’ and that results in two half notes. The easiest way to work out what the beats are worth is to divide the whole note by that bottom number. Note: This bottom number is relative to the whole note. It shows us whether the beats are eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, or another note value. The bottom number tells us what those beats are worth. The time signature 2/4 shows us that the meter is in two there are two beats in every measure. The number on top tells us the amount of beats per measure. For example this is the time signature two-four: These two factors are represented in written music by the time signature: a symbol that consists of two numbers – one sitting on top of the other. There are two important factors to meter: the amount of beats in every group and what the value of those beats are (whether quarter notes, eighth notes or anything else). As we’ll see, these groups are known in music as measures (or bars) and they are separated by bar lines. Meter is the division of beats into equal groups. These groups are better known in music as meters. And we can do so because the first beat of every group is accented. What’s really fascinating is that we can hear these groups even without reading the written music. One possibility is to divide them into 2 groups of 3 quarter notes:Īnother possibility is to divide them into 3 groups of 2 quarter notes each: For example, let’s take the quarter note pulse again.Īlthough it’s quite simple, it can be played in different ways. This is not forced by musicians but happens naturally as music falls into patterns. Some beats are emphasized more than others.

Here is a table of the 6 most common Italian terms for tempo, their meaning and their equivalent beats per minute. Tempo is the pace (or speed) of the music and it’s indicated on sheet music by specific musical terms (traditionally in Italian but there are hundreds of terms in many languages). The pulse can be played fast, slow or anywhere in between. So if the quarter note is one beat, then the whole note is 4 beats, the half note is 2 beats and so on. And we can do this because we already know the relative durations of our note values. This is useful because now that we know that 1 beat is 1 quarter note, we can measure how many beats every other note is worth. And so here we have a quarter note pulse where every beat is a quarter note. So instead of squares, we’ll put a note value, let’s say for example, quarter notes. And to do this we must assign a note value to the pulse. Now to measure musical time accurately, we have to decide what these beats are worth. This is because the pulse is steady, consistent and all the beats are the same duration: Notice that they’re all equal in size and they’re always the same distance apart. Here’s a simple row of squares that represents a pulse. This is the constant, underlying beat that people tap their feet to when listening to a song.

Whole rest beats