Keeping the Beat
In order to play music, you need to know its meter, the beat you use when dancing, clapping or tapping your foot along with a song. When reading music, the meter is written like a fraction, with a top number and a bottom number. We call this the song’s time signature. The top number tells you how many beats to a measure. That is the space of staff in between each vertical line (called a bar). The bottom number tells you the note value for a single beat, the pulse your foot taps along with while listening.
Time Signature Examples
Let's use a common example: Twinkle Twinkle. The time signature is 4/4, meaning there are 4 beats per measure, and that every quarter note gets one beat. Note how each measure contains notes that add up to 4.
4/4 time is the most common time signature in music, which is where all the different note values get their names. The whole note takes up the whole measure. A half note is half of that. A quarter note is a quarter of a whole note.
4/4 time is the most common time signature in music, which is where all the different note values get their names. The whole note takes up the whole measure. A half note is half of that. A quarter note is a quarter of a whole note.
Here's another one: Over the River and Through the Woods. This time, the time signature is 3/4, meaning there are 3 beats per measure, and that every quarter note gets one beat. Note how each measure contains notes that add up to 3.
Time signatures are mainly used to organize music. It does not affect how you play a note, unless you have a time signature like 6/8. In this scenario, the eighth note receives one count. A quarter note will receive two counts, a half note four, etc. This is fairly common in music, but in the first year of band, it is unlikely to appear in your music.
Time signatures are mainly used to organize music. It does not affect how you play a note, unless you have a time signature like 6/8. In this scenario, the eighth note receives one count. A quarter note will receive two counts, a half note four, etc. This is fairly common in music, but in the first year of band, it is unlikely to appear in your music.
Tempo
In addition to your note values and time signature, the last part to feeling the rhythm is knowing your tempo, or beats per minute. Tempo tells you how fast or slow a piece is played, and often is shown at the top of a piece of sheet music. A tempo of, say 60 BPM (beats per minute) would mean you’d play 60 of the signified notes every minute or a single note every second. Likewise, a tempo of 120 would double the speed at 2 notes every second. You may also see Italian words like “Largo,” “Allegro” or “Presto” at the top of your sheet music, which mean common tempos. Musicians use a tool, called a metronome, to help them keep tempo while practicing a new piece.
You are ready to move on to the final step: Playing a Melody! Either click the button below, or scroll up to Reading Music and select Playing a Melody in the drop down menu.