Beat The rhythm to which you tap your foot in time with music. Also the rhythm of each bar which may be counted. Some beats are stronger than others.
A battuta As beaten; strictly in time (on the beat).
Accents Beats, strong or weak.
Bar Lines / Measure Lines Bar lines divide music in bars. Each bar has the number of beats indicated by the Time Signature. The first beat after the Bar-Line is usually the strongest beat in the Bar. (see double bar line)
Common Time Four beats per measure or bar
Compound Time signatures with a dotted note beat. In simple time the beat is divided into two. In compound time the beat is divided into three.
Meter the pattern of regular beats that defines a musical piece
Rest / Rests Rests last for the same number of beats as the notes which they replace. A rest in a bar or measure is a period of time where no note is played.
Syncopation changing the rhythm of a song on purpose so that the beat falls on a beat which is not normally accented.
Time Signature A time signature is a device which shows how to count the time patterns in any bar. It is represented by either two numbers, a 'c', or 'c' with a vertical line through it. This is usually shown at the beginning of staves. These symbols give the number of beats to a bar.
Concerning the two numbers, the lower number represents the unit of time: it is written according to its value in terms of a semibreve. The number of top of a time-signature shows how many units there are to the bar.
The time signature is written on the stave just before the first note of the tune. A time signature with four quarter notes to the bar is written 4/4 (common time, also represented by a 'C'). The time signature for songs with two quarter notes to the bar is written 2/4, etc.
Triplet Three notes to be fitted into the time of two. Other numbers of notes may be grouped in the same way, but of course would then not be named a 'triplet'. For example, two notes played over three beats is called a couplet or duplet.
Waltz A waltz is a song written in 3/4 time with a strong accent on the first beat. It is most often played at a slow tempo, usually between 30 to 45 bpm, but dependent upon the region of performance and the origin of the music.
