The beat
The beat is the steady pulse of music, the part you tap your foot to. Tempo is how fast the beat goes, measured in beats per minute (BPM).
Beats are grouped into measures. The time signature tells you how.
Note lengths
Whole note
4 beats
Half note
2 beats
Quarter note
1 beat
Eighth note
ยฝ beat
Time signatures
The top number is how many beats are in each measure. The bottom number tells you which note gets one beat.
| Time signature | Beats per measure | Feels like |
|---|---|---|
| 4/4 | 4 | Steady and strong: 1 2 3 4 |
| 3/4 | 3 | A waltz: 1 2 3 |
| 2/4 | 2 | A march: 1 2 |
| 6/8 | 6 (felt in two groups of 3) | A rocking feel: 1 2 3 4 5 6 |