measure
A measure is a section of music that is divided into sharp sections.
There will be a vertical line between each measure. (See a separate article about types of vertical lines)
These measures are not separated somehow, but are separated according to a proper rule.
The rules are as explained below.
Musical scores basically have a rhythm that repeats the same beat.
Vertical lines are placed between these rhythms to separate the measures.
beat
A beat is a group of beats that repeat periodically.
A familiar example is the 337 time signature.
In piano scores (staves), time signatures are used to specify the number of beats.
This time I will introduce some of these time signatures.
| time signature | name | measure length |
 | four-quarter time (4/4 time signature) | 4 quarter notes |
 | three-quarter time (3/4 time) | 3 quarter notes |
 | six-eighth time (6/8 time signature) | 6 eighth notes |
 | Common Time (common time) | 4 quarter notes (same as 4/4 time signature) |
 | Cut Time (cut time) | two half notes (same as 2/2 time) |
I have listed common time signatures, but there are also other time signatures such as 2/4 time and 2/2 time.
They all have the same meaning: □/○ time signature means "□ ○ half notes."
Many songs in 3/4 time are used for dances called dances.
Waltz, minuet, and Spanish bolero are all composed of triple time.
However, there is almost no triple time music in traditional Japanese music, and it is said that Japanese people are not good at triple time.
At this point, I think all of you science-minded people will have questions.
「Aren't 3/4 time signatures and 6/8 time signatures the same?」
that's right. Whether there are three quarter notes or six eighth notes, the measure will be the same length.
So what's the difference?
3/4 time is often made up of three additional parts within a measure, while 6/8 time is often made up of two parts.
The word "configured" may be a bit of a misnomer.
whether there are three accents or two accents in a measure .
When looking at a score in 3/4 or 6/8 time, try seeing how many accents you can get in one measure.
"Aren't 4/4 time signatures and 2/2 time signatures the same?"
Some of you may have thought the same thing.
Similarly, 4/4 time has ``two accents '' in a measure, but 2/2 time has ``only one accent.''
In this way, when viewed as fractions, they are the same, and the lengths of the sounds are also the same, but in the world of music, they have different meanings.
tempo
Finally, let's talk about tempo
“I understand the difference in note length, but how many seconds is a quarter note?”
Many people may have doubts.
This varies depending on the song.
To solve this problem, the following tempo is written in the sheet music at the beginning. (Although some are not)
The standard tempo is 1 minute.
Therefore, the above tempo means ``Play at a rate of 100 quarter notes per minute.''
A quarter note is not always written on the left side, but sometimes an eighth note or a half note is written.
Let's play the song based on this.
There is a metronome as a tool to accurately keep track of the tempo.
There are metronomes that can be used for free online, so if you can't get a sense of the rhythm even after looking at the tempo, try using one.
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