Meter Basics

| Meter Basics | Simple Meter | Compound Meter |

METER NOTATION
Meter is a recurring pattern of stresses or accents that provide the pulse or beat of music. Meter is notated at the beginning of a composition with a time signature. Time signatures are always notated with two numbers, one on top of the other, much like a fraction in math. The top number denotes the number of beats (or number of pulses) in each measure. The bottom number denotes the note value that receives the beat. The note values that can receive beats include double whole note, whole note (1), half note (2), quarter note (4), eighth note (8), sixteenth note (16), thirty-second note (32), sixty-fourth note (64), and one hundred and twenty-eighth note (128).

An example of 4/4 meter means that there are four (4) beats in each measure and the quarter note (4) receives the beat. Thus, there are four quarter notes in each measure or a strong accent every four quarter notes.The table below shows an explanation of several common meters and their notations.

Name	Notation	Meaning	Rhythmic Notation
Two-four meter or Two-four time		There are 2 beats per measure (top number) and the quarter note (bottom number) gets one beat.	Two quarter notes per measure
Three-four meter or Three-four time		There are 3 beats per measure (top number) and the quarter note (bottom number) gets one beat.	Three quarter notes per measure
Four-four meter or Four-four time		There are 4 beats per measure (top number) and the quarter note (bottom number) gets one beat.	Four quarter notes per measure
Five-four meter or Five-four time		There are 5 beats per measure (top number) and the quarter note (bottom number) gets one beat.	Five quarter notes per measure
Six-eight meter or Six-eight time		There are 6 beats per measure (top number) and the eighth note (bottom number) gets one beat.	Six eighth notes per measure

METER WITH RELATION TO TEMPO
All indications of meter are subject to the interpretation of the composer and of the performer. In realizing their musical ideas, composers need to work within the existing notation, augment the existing notation, or create new notation. Although creating new notational systems were popular in the first half of the twentieth century, the problems they created often exceeded the value of the composition and are not commonly used. Therefore, it is not uncommon for composers to create music using existing notation that is perceived as being inconsistent with what is performed.

When the tempo (or speed) of the music is very slow or very fast, the beat can be perceived as being different from the meter as notated. An example of a fast tempo would be a Viennese Waltz where the meter is shown as 3/4 (with 3 beats per measure and the 4 or quarter note getting one beat), but this style of waltz is performed so quickly, it is perceived as being performed with one beat per measure. The written meter is still correct, only the performance of the composition gives the perception of something different.

Similarly, when a composition is performed very slowly, the listener can often hear (or feel) twice the number of beats than are notated. With extremely slow music, it is often difficult to hear any beat or pulse.

Also, some compositions, such as some fantasias, have no measures and provide only the basic meter and note values. This allows the performer to freely interpret the composition and decide how fast or slow to perform each phrase. The meter only provides a basic guide to the relationship of one note value (or length) to the next. Thus, no two performances or interpretations will be exactly the same and there is no possibility of perceiving any meter at all.

TYPES OF METER
Meter can be categorized as simple, compound, or complex. These three categories can explain all rhythmic patterns in Western music. Each of the categories of meter is defined by the subdivision of beats. Within each of these three categories are further classifications of groupings. The number of beats per measure determine the term associated with that meter.

SIMPLE METER
Simple meter or Simple Time can be defined as a meter where each beat in a measure can be subdivided by two.

Subdivision of Simple Meters
Subdivision means to divide the meter into smaller (or shorter) beat components. The chart below shows the basic subdivision of simple meters. Each beat unit in sequence is one half the duration of the previous unit. So a whole note is half as long as a double whole note, a half note is half as long as a whole note, a quarter note is half as long as a half note, an eighth note is half as long as a quarter note, etc.

	Double Whole Note	Whole Note	Half Note	Quarter Note	Eighth Note	Sixteenth Note	Thirty-second Note	Sixty-fourth Note	One hundred and twenty-eighth Note
Beat Unit
Division of Beat Unit
Subdivision of Beat Unit

COMPOUND METER
Compound meter can be defined as a meter where each beat in a measure can be subdivided by three.

	Dotted Whole Note	Dotted Half Note	Dotted Quarter Note	Dotted Eighth Note	Dotted Sixteenth Note	Dotted Thirty-second Note	Dotted Sixty-fourth Note	Dotted One hundred and twenty-eighth Note
Beat Unit
Division of Beat Unit
Subdivision of Beat Unit

COMPLEX METER
Complex meter can be defined as a meter where each measure is a combination of several other meters.