Meter

Rhythmic values in music are organized by pulse. Most music has a pulse either every two beats (duple meter), every three beats (triple meter), or every four beats (quadruple meter).

Think of some common tunes:

• Polkas tend to have a pulse every two beats (duple)
• Walzes have a pulse every three beats (The Blue Danube)
  
• Some holiday songs have a pulse every four beats (Angels We Have Heard on High)
  

These pulses are described as METER. And are organized on the staff by measures, separated by measure (or bar) lines. These are vertical bars drawn on the staff.

Meters are identified by TIME SIGNATURES that are placed at the beginning of a piece or section of a piece.

Time signatures look like fractions and work similarly. The top number tells us the number of beats in a measure. The bottom number tells us what type of note gets the beat.

So 3/4 time means that there are three quarter notes in a measure.

6/8 means there are six eighth notes in a measure.

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