measure
A measure is a section of sheet music that is divided at the end of a measure.
There will be a vertical line between each measure. (See separate article on types of vertical lines.)
This measure is not divided somehow, but with a proper law.
That law is the beat described below.
The score is basically rhythmic, repeating the same beat.
Vertical lines are placed between these rhythmic intervals to separate the measures.
beat
A beat is a collection of periodically repeating beats.
A familiar example is the 337 claps.
In piano notation (stave notation), a time signature is used to specify the number of beats per measure.
In this issue, we will introduce some of its time signatures.
time signature | Name | Measure Length |
![]() | four-quarter time (4/4 time) | For four quarter notes |
![]() | three-quarter time (music) (3/4 time) | For three quarter notes |
![]() | six-eighths time (6/8 time) | Six eighth notes. |
![]() | Common Time (COMMON TIME) | For four quarter notes (same as 4/4 time) |
![]() | Cut Time (Cut time) | For two half notes (same as 2/2 time) |
I have listed the most common time signatures, but there are others such as 2/4 time and 2/2 time.
They all mean the same thing: □/○ beats means “□ minutes of □ quarter notes”.
Many songs in 3/4 time are used for dancing, called dances.
Waltzes, minuets, and Spanish boleros are in three time signatures.
However, there is very little three-beat music in ancient Japanese music, and it is said that the Japanese are not good at three-beat music.
Here is a question for all of you science brains out there.
Isn’t 3/4 time and 6/8 time the same thing?”
Yes, whether there are three quarter notes or six eighth notes, the length of the measure will be the same.
So what is the difference?
A 3/4 beat is often made up of three more parts in a measure, while a 6/8 beat is often made up of two parts.
The word “composed” may be a bit misleading.
To put it a little differently, it is ” whether a note is accented for three or two” in a measure.
When you see a score in 3/4 time or 6/8 time, try to see how many accents you can get in one measure.
Isn’t 4/4 time and 2/2 time the same thing?”
Some of you may have thought the same thing.
Similarly here, 4/4 time has ” two accents ” in the measure , while 2/2 time has “only one accent”.
Thus, when viewed as fractions, they are the same, and the length of the notes is the same, but in the world of music, they have different meanings.
tempo
Finally, let’s discuss tempo.
I know the difference between note durations, but how many seconds is a quarter note, specifically?”
Many of you may have wondered.
This will vary from song to song.
In order to solve this problem, the tempo is indicated at the beginning of the score as follows. (Some do not).
The standard for tempo is “one minute”.
Thus, the tempo above means, “Play 100 quarter notes per minute.” This means “play at the rate of 100 quarter notes per minute.
The left side does not always contain quarter notes, but sometimes eighth notes and sometimes half notes.
Let’s play the song based on this.
A metronome is a tool used to accurately mark this tempo.
There are free metronomes available on the Internet, so if you can’t find a sense of rhythm by looking at the tempo, by all means use one.
Leave a Reply