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Whether you’re tapping or foot or clapping your hand, this is meter.
Meter is determined in a piece using notes, including:
- Transparent oval, called a semibreve (or whole note), and counts for 4 beats
- Transparent oval with a single line, called a minim (or half note), and counts for 2 beats
- Opaque oval with a single line, called a crotchet (or quarter note), and counts for 1 beats
- Opaque oval with a single line followed by a squigley, called a quaver (or eigth note), and counts for 1/2 beats
- Opaque oval with a single line followed by a double squigley, called a semiquaver (or sixteenth note), and counts for 1/4 beats
- Opaque oval with a single line followed by a triple squigley, called a demisemiquaver (or thirtysecond note), and counts for 1/8 beats
- Opaque oval with a single line followed by a quadruple squigley, called a hemidemisemiquaver (or sixtyfourth note), and counts for 1/16 beats
A dot can also be added to the note, which increases the note by a factor of 50% (i.e. multiplying the beat by 150% or 1.5). The alternations are:
- A semibreve with a dot, instead of counting for 4 counts for 6
- A minim with a dot, instead of counting for 2 counts for 3
- A crotchet with a dot, instead of counting for 1 counts for 1.5
- A quaver with a dot, instead of counting for 0.5 counts for 0.75