The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #73797   Message #1282845
Posted By: The Fooles Troupe
28-Sep-04 - 01:44 AM
Thread Name: Time Signature help needed...
Subject: RE: Time Signature help needed...
If you are having that much difficulty, you should get a metronome.

the basic problem that you have to learn to overcome is to set up a regular unvarying beat - Da Da Da Da Da... etc the pace of which is at the frequency of the 'unit' - the bottom part of the 'fraction' - the 4 in your examples - these are called 'crotchets' and the pace of these is so many beats per minute - in classical music called the MM = XX [which is the MM number] - MM = Malziel's Metronome - code at the top of the page.

The top number of the 'fraction' then tells you how many of these beats there are in a bar, the first one of which is always accented.

Metronomes (old mechanical ones) had a bell which could be set ot sound on the first beat of each 'group' - modern electronic ones have pulsing lights and/or beats.

ALWAYS keep the beat steady - certain styles of music 'bend' or 'swing' the beat, but if you never learn to play to a steady beat at first, you will severely limit your musical capabilities.

Robin