Mastering Rhythms: Understanding Meter Signatures

1. Counting Rhythm Created by Mark Farmer

2. Counting rhythms will help you better understand how to play rhythms correctly. You will learn how to read a meter signature. Meter is the forward progression of accented and unaccented beats.

3. A meter signature looks like a fraction. The top number is the number of beats in a measure. The bottom number is the type of note that gets the beat. 3 4 Three beats to a measure and the quarter note will get the beat.

4. 3 4 The top number can be any number. Sometimes it can show a division of a measure such as 3+4 instead of 7. It is important to remember that the top number has nothing to do with the number of notes in a measure.

5. 3 The bottom number is the type of note that gets the beat. 4 1 = whole note 2 = half note 4 = quarter note 8 = eighth note 16 = sixteenth note

6. A whole note in 4/4 time will get 4 counts. The first note of any measure will always be count 1. 4 4 1-2-3-4

7. Half notes will get 2 counts each. In 4/4 time they will get counts 1&2 and 3&4. 4 4 1-2 3-4

8. Quarter notes each get 1 count in 4/4 time. Remember that the number shows the position of the note to the beat. 4 4 1 2 3 4

9. Quarter notes are some of the easiest to count. 2 4 1 2 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3