Pulse and meter
The pulse is music's steady heartbeat; meter groups it into cycles of strong and weak beats.
Essential
Content under musical review. It may contain inaccuracies.
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The pulse is music's steady heartbeat; meter groups it into cycles of strong and weak beats.
Essential
The pulse (or beat) is the steady heartbeat you feel when you tap your foot to music. Tempo says how fast that beat goes, in beats per minute (bpm). Meter groups beats into repeating cycles, with a first beat stronger than the rest. Each cycle is a measure (or bar).
A steady pulse, no accents:
Now the same pulse grouped in fours. The low note marks the first beat of each measure:
And grouped in threes, like a waltz:
The time signature is two numbers at the start of the music. In simple meters:
| Time signature | Beats | Accent pattern | Feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/4 | 2 | strong – weak | march |
| 3/4 | 3 | strong – weak – weak | waltz |
| 4/4 | 4 | strong – weak – medium – weak | most pop and rock |
| 6/8 | 2 (of three eighths) | strong – weak | lilting, triple feel |
Barlines separate each cycle. In tab and standard notation you'll see a vertical line after each group.
Set the metronome to 80 bpm in 4/4 and count out loud "1, 2, 3, 4". Strum a chord only on 1. Then on 1 and 3. Finally on all four beats.
Metronome in 4/4 at 80 bpmSwitch to 3/4 and repeat: you'll notice the phrase "turns around" sooner.
Metronome in 3/4Playing with a steady pulse is the single most important skill for playing with others. A perfect chord at the wrong moment sounds worse than a simple one in the right place.
Listen to any piece, tap the beat with your foot and tap along in the tempo tool. Now you know how fast to practise. Try playing with the metronome clicking only on beats 2 and 4: that's where the snare drum usually sits in rock, and it forces you to feel beat 1 yourself.
Tap to find the tempo Rhythm & accompanimentRhythm readingRead and play note values and rests accurately against the pulse.In simple meter each beat divides into two (2/4, 3/4, 4/4). In compound meter each beat divides into three and is worth a dotted note: 6/8 has two dotted-quarter beats, 9/8 three and 12/8 four. That's why 3/4 and 6/8 hold the same six eighth notes but group them differently: 3/4 in three groups of two, 6/8 in two groups of three.
Hear 6/8 grouped