What is a Bar or measure?
- Music is normally divided into equal time-lengths called bars (or, in some countries, measures - see alternative names), each consisting of the same number of beats. - The time signature gives the number of beats in a bar and the type of beats, so it tells you how long each bar is (in terms of the number and type of notes and/or rests in a single part in that bar). - Bars dividers, called bar-lines, are indicated in a score by a vertical line from the top to the bottom of the stave. A double bar-line is written at the end of a piece: http://neilhawes.com/sstheory/stave2pt.gif . The double bar-line is sometimes written with the second line thicker than the first; this is normally used at the very end of a piece, and two equal lines are used at the end of sections. - Bars give an intuitive division of a piece of music into manageable chunks; the strongest accents come on the beat immediately following a bar line, so it is relatively easy to count bars, and it should be easy to count the beats within each bar. - The number of bars in a section of music is often regular; four bars often make a short phrase, eight bars and sixteen bars are often the section sizes next largest. These numbers feel "natural"; a section of 17 or 19 bars often feels "wrong". This is because of a hierarchical structure of beats strengths that we naturally feel; there is a strong accent on the beat at the beginning of every fourth bar, an even stronger one at the beginning of every eighth bar, and so on. On Sat, Jun 28, 2008 at 8:08 PM, Ganesh Narayanan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > *Within the context of a piece of music, the word beat has a special > meaning. It is the consistent pulse of the music, as in the previous meaning > (above), but the special meaning also includes the duration of the beat and > the way the beats are grouped.* > > > - *The note length of the beat is specified by the time signature.* > > > > - *The time signature also specifies how many of these beats there are > in a bar.* > > > > - *The speed of this beat is specified by any direction words and/or > metronome marking.* > > > > - *The first beat in each bar is generally felt as stronger than the > other beats in the bar. This might be literally by a stronger beat perhaps > by a drum, or it might be implied by the harmonic or melodic shape of the > music. Within a bar of four or more beats, there will almost certainly be a > sub-division, which means that another beat in the bar will be felt as > being > stronger than the others, but not as strong as the first. This pattern of > strong, less strong and weaker beats is normally governed by the time > signature.* > > > > On Sat, Jun 28, 2008 at 8:07 PM, Ganesh Narayanan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > >> Jus thought of sharing some really useful Information that i found on the >> net while trying to get some music lessons....of late hearing a lot of >> musical Jargons on orkut...thought of reading up on them to understand what >> do they exactly mean...hope u'll enjoy reading it!! >> >> What is a Beat.... There are two slightly different meanings of the word >> "beat" in music, but the second is essentially a special case of the first: >> >> *1) Beat is the most fundamental concept of rhythm:* >> >> >> - *A beat is a pulse that occurs at regular intervals, i.e. with equal >> time intervals between the pulses, which is heard (and often felt) by >> humans.* >> >> >> - *A regular beat can have an emotional effect on a person: for >> example, it can be exciting, relaxing or irritating.* >> >> >> - *There are probably many reasons why our brains "tune in" to a >> regular pulse:* >> >> * >> * Our heartbeat is (normally) regular >> * When we walk or run, our feet land in a regular rhythm (in order to >> maintain balance) >> * To be able to judge time properly, we have to be able to accurately >> subdivide it, e.g. count seconds* >> >> *# **These regular intervals could be any perceptible interval, but >> experience shows that useful pulse speeds are those which can be counted and >> felt, which are similar to the speed of walking, or the speed of a >> heartbeat, i.e. between around 40 a minute and 200 a minute (over 3 per >> second).* >> >> *# **In general, a slow beat will be about 70 or less, which can be >> compared to a leisurely walking speed or a heartbeat in relaxation; a fast >> beat will be from 120 upwards, which can be compared to a fast walk or run >> or a fast-beating heart; generally speaking, a slow beat is relaxing and a >> fast beat is exciting.* >> >> *#* *The beat may have a definite frequency or pitch, or it may not.* >> >> *# **Even if a beat is regular, it may not be exactly the same each beat >> each time: >> >> * the volume may change in some pattern >> * the pitch may change in some pattern >> * the tone may change in some pattern >> * any combination of any of the above may change* >> >> *# **When a beat is combined with patterns of accents, and other patterns >> of changes in pitch, volume etc., then you have the beginnings of rhythm. >> * >> >> >
