Pulse and beat: the heart of music

Tap your foot to any song. That steady tap is the pulse - the metronomic backbone musicians agree on. Each tap is one beat.

Tempo measures pulse speed in beats per minute (BPM). A relaxed pop song sits around 90 BPM. A dance track might run 120-128 BPM. A drum & bass tune blazes at 170+.

Time signatures

Beats group together into measures or bars. The most common grouping in Western music is 4 beats per bar - written 4/4. Waltzes are in 3/4. Many folk and odd-meter pieces use 5/4, 7/8, 9/8.