Or are you asking, Barbra, how to signify the beat? Either by tapping your foot, or slapping your hand on your knee in time or by the type of stroke on your guitar?

The reason I ask is that I remember whem I was under the impression that I would have to count to 64, for instance, in a 64 bar (measure) tune. And of course, it's not so. One continually starts over, as in 1 23, 1 23, 1 23, for a waltz or an air (3/4 time; or   1 2, 1 2, 1 2, 1 2 for 2/4 time or 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4 for 4/4.

It is often given as boom chick chick, boom chick chick, boom chick chick for 3/4 or boom chick, boom chick, boom chick for 2/4 and I suppose, boom boom boom boom for 4/4 though I haven't heard that said. This is a strike the root note, and strum across the other strings kind of beat for boom chick, for instance.


I suspect you are way beyond this but just in case- ! Sometimes it's the simplest things that make it hard to get started. Good luck. You'll never regret learning to play.