Bars, time signatures and counting
How beats are grouped, and how to count out loud. ยท 12 min
Bar lines and bars
Music is divided into bars (also called measures) by vertical bar lines. Each bar holds the same number of beats. A thin line followed by a thick line โ the final bar line โ means the end.
Grouping into bars tells you where the strong beats are. Beat 1 of each bar is the strongest.
The time signature
The two stacked numbers at the start of the music are the time signature. It is not a fraction.
Top number: how many beats in each bar. Bottom number: which note value gets one beat. 4 = quarter note, 2 = half note, 8 = eighth note.
So 4/4 means four quarter-note beats per bar. 3/4 means three quarter-note beats (waltz feel). 2/4 means two (march feel).
Counting out loud
Count every beat out loud, even during long notes and rests. For eighth notes, split each beat in two: "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &". The numbers fall on the beat; the "&" falls exactly halfway.
Practise: set the metronome on the Practice page to 60 and clap the example below while counting. Don't speed up on eighth notes โ beginners almost always do.
Check yourself
You'll see immediately whether each answer is right, and why.
In 3/4, how many beats are in each bar?