Part 1 · Getting Started · Chapter 7
Music is organized into a steady pulse called the beat. Beats are grouped into bars (also called measures), separated by bar lines.
The time signature at the start tells you how. The top number is how many beats are in each bar. The bottom number tells you which note gets one beat; a 4 means the quarter note.
Four beats per bar, the most common time signature. The accent marks beat 1.
Three beats per bar: the waltz.
Two beats per bar: the march.
Beat 1 of every bar is called the downbeat. Musicians use it to stay together. Always know where the 1 is.