The Time Signature & Rhythm

Music notation is organized by grouping the flow of sound into measures. This often creates a rhythmic sense.

The TIME SIGNATURE seen at the beginning of every STAFF instructs the reader to how this will happen. The MEASURE is what occurs between BAR LINES. A BAR LINE may begin and end a measure simultaneously. What occurs in between the BAR LINES is permitted to be only what the numbers indicated in the TIME SIGNATURE declares. No more, no less.

The RHYTHM of music is the sense of movement you feel that the sound creates. You often hear RHYTHM in random noise in the world. If it has a pulse. Were you to try and communicate that in NOTATION you will need to have an organizational approach. This is accomplished by a device called the TIME SIGNATURE.

The top number tells us HOW MANY

The bottom number tells us WHAT KIND

Bar Lines

After the required number of beats a vertical BAR LINE finishes the MEASURE and begins the next MEASURE.

Think of the BAR LINE as not only the end of a measure but the beginning of a new measure.

Partial Measures

Sometimes songs will change their METER with a new TIME SIGNATURE.

Remember, the total number of notes and rests must add up to the top number in the TIME SIGNATURE, except for the very first measure. This measure can be a partial measure. For example, if there were two quarter notes you would begin counting on the third beat of the partial measure. This is the only place where less than the required number of beats can happen.

When music is counted in multiples of 2 it’s called Duple Meter. When counted in multiples of 3 it’s called Triple Meter.

Most popular songs are in a duple meter.

RHYTHM

You Feel Rhythm

In each example the TEMPO (how fast, or slow) stayed the same.

The Downbeat

The first beat of a measure is the DOWNBEAT and is usually the strongest beat. While listening to music you can easily feel the first beat. The 3rd beat in a measure of 4/4 is also a STRONG beat. Usually beats 2 & 4 are considered WEAK beats. However, in Pop/Rock music especially strong accents can be heard on 2 & 4. They’re called BACKBEATS.

Triplets

A TRIPLET is a device in notation that allows us to fit three of something into the space where normally only two should be. It’s indicated by a bracket with a number above it.

For instance, you could put 3 quarter notes into a measure starting on the third beat and make it acceptable to the restriction of only having four quarter note beats in the measure. To do this we place a bracket above the notes with a number 3 placed in the center.

Syncopation

Syncopation occurs when a weak beat is tied to a strong beat.

In 4/4 time the strong beats are on 1, 2, 3, and 4. The weak beats are the beats in between, i.e., the “and” of 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. Picture a conductor’s hand moving up and down. The down beats are strong, the up beats are weak.

In the past hundred years our popular music has included much more SYNCOPATION due to the tremendous influence of the blues & jazz genres.

Musicians sometimes call it an “anticipation”, or a “push”. In notation we recognize a syncopation when we see a note on a weak beat tied to a note on a strong beat.

The DOWNBEAT of the second measure gets “pushed” onto the “&” of 4. Listen.