Meter

Pulses or beats can be organized in a variety of ways. Meter refers to the distance between strong pulses or beats. Probably the most common meter in music is a four beat pattern. Count out loud “1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4” and say the number 1 a little louder than 2, 3 and 4. This gives you the feel of a four beat meter. Count out loud “1-2, 1-2, 1-2” and say the number 1 a little louder. Now you have a sense of a two beat meter. Marches are generally written using a two beat pattern. This allows the marchers to feel each pace in time.

Count out loud "1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3" and say the number 1 a little louder than 2 and 3. This gives you the sense of a three beat meter. Waltzes are usually written using a three beat meter pattern.

Of course there are many other kinds of meters. The strong pulse can be repeated every 5, 6, 7, or any other number of beats. The beat can be subdivided into smaller units. Meter is usually expressed at the beginning of a line of music as a time meter signature or time signature. Time signatures contain two numbers, one over the other. The top number indicates how many beats there are between strong beats. The bottom number will indicate the type of note that will receive one beat. Study these examples of time or meter signatures.

When looking at a piece of music you will first see the time signature. The music is divided into measures, or groups of beats, based on the top number of the time signature. For example, music with a 4/4 time signature will have 4 beats in each measure. The measures are then divided by a vertical line, known as a bar line.