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2 | Music Reading

Beat and Meter

Peter Kun Frary

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Rhythm is the flow of musical sounds through time. Rhythm has three components: beat, duration and meter.

Rob & Honybal | ©Peter Kun Frary

Beat

When dancing you move to a steady pulse called the beat. Beat underlies music and creates rhythmic coherence. Listen to a beat played on a metronome:

Role of the Beat

Music is organized on a timeline and the beat is the unit of measurement. To experience the beat's role, sing a phrase of America while clapping the beat. Three beats (temple block) are heard before America starts:

“My” equals 1 beat, “'tis” equals 1-1/2 beats and “sing” equals 3 beats.

Beat and Meter Basics | Professor Peter

Tempo

The speed of the beat is called tempo.

Tempo is indicated in beats per minute (BPM) or with a tempo mark, an Italian word used to describe tempo. Here are the basic tempos from slow to fast:

largo, very slow and broad

adagio, slow and at ease

andante, moderately slow (walking pace)

andantino, a little faster than andante

moderato, moderately

allegretto, a little slower than allegro

allegro, fast (cheerful)

presto, very fast

How do you know the correct tempo or BPM? Use a metronome.

Metronome

The metronome is a device used to play a beat for practicing music and specifying tempo. Tempo is adjustable from largo (40-60 BPM) to presto (168+ BPM). For example, the Seiko metronome on the right provides the basics: a beat with an audible click and flashing LED.

Metronome App

A smartphone app may be used for metronome functions. We recommend the D'Addario D'Tools app, available free at the Apple App Store and Google Play. D'Addario D'Tools has features beyond a simple beat: metric accents, rhythms, customized settings and a tuning function.

D'Addario D'Tools App | Available at the Apple App Store and Google Play.

D'Tools app

The ability to keep a beat is fundamental to all musical styles. Regular practice with a metronome helps enhances your sense of beat.

Meter

As you sang America you felt beats in groups of three: strong-weak-weak. This grouping of beats in a pattern of stressed and unstressed pulses is called meter. The meter of America is triple meter because of the three-beat grouping.

The three most common meters are:

Duple meter, two beats in a strong-weak pattern (1-2).

Triple meter, three beats in a strong-weak-weak pattern (1-2-3).

Quadruple meter, four beats in a strong-weak-secondary strong-weak pattern (1-2-3-4).

The first beat of any meter is called the downbeat.

Conductor | The conductor signals the first beat of a meter by dropping his baton, hence the term downbeat. | Dover Clip Art

Conductor | Dover Clipart

Duple Meter

Sing Mary had a Little Lamb while chapping the beat. Feel the strong-weak (1-2) pattern? That's the feel of duple meter.

Listen to the strong-weak (1-2) metric groove of On The Avignon Bridge:

On The Avignon Bridge | Frary Ukulele Band

Triple meter

Bust out a chorus of On Top of Old Smokey while clapping and you will hear the strong-weak-weak pattern (1-2-3) of its underlying triple meter.

Now ponder the strong-weak-weak (1-2-3) meter pattern of Malagueña:

Malagueña | Frary Ukulele Band

Quadruple meter

Hum Mine Eyes have Seen the Glory while clapping and you'll feel the groove of the strong-weak-secondary strong-weak quadruple meter pattern (1-2-3-4).

Listen to the strong-weak-secondary strong-weak meter pattern (1-2-3-4) of Hawaii Five-O:

Hawaii Five-O | The Frary Ukulele Band

Study Questions

Meter can be heard and felt while listening to music. Listen to the pieces below. Find the downbeat and count the beats between accents. Listen for repeating beat patterns of 2, 3 or 4.

What meter is used in Ukulele Blues? [answer below]

What meter is used in Etude Op 60 No. 14? [answer below]

Ukulele Blues | Frary Ukulele Band

Bianco Fiore | Peter Kun Frary

Answers

Ukulele Blues is in quadruple meter.

Etude Op 60 No. 14 is in triple meter.

Vocabulary

beat, metronome, tempo, tempo mark, duration, rhythm, largo, adagio, andante, andantino, moderato, allegretto, allegro, presto, meter, duple meter, triple meter, quadruple meter