Pulse and tempo

Everything in the workshop runs on a beat. The kettle is slightly behind it.

— the Slopwright

Music sits on a steady pulse, the beat you tap your foot to. Tempo is how fast it goes, counted in beats per minute (BPM): 60 is one a second, 120 is two.

Beats come in groups called bars. The meter says how many beats a bar has. Four is the most common (count 1 2 3 4, a march); three makes a waltz (1 2 3). The first beat of each bar, the downbeat, is the heaviest, and that is how you hear where a bar starts.

Tempo changes the mood more than almost anything else. The same tune at 70 BPM sounds thoughtful and at 140 sounds like it is late for something.

Try this

1. Play the metronome at 100 in 4, then switch to 3. Listen for where the high click lands.
2. Tap the tempo of Waltz for a Sardine with the Tap button while it plays in Tinny. It is written at 138.
3. Find a tempo that feels like walking, then one that feels like running. Note the numbers.