Rhythm, tempo and time signatures

Rhythm is when notes happen and how long they last. It's the heartbeat of music — and in rock and metal, it's everything.

Beat and tempo

The beat is the steady pulse you tap your foot to. The tempo is how fast the beat goes, measured in BPM (beats per minute). 60 BPM is one beat per second; most rock songs are between 90 and 140 BPM.

Bars and time signatures

Beats are grouped into bars (measures). The time signature tells you how many beats are in each bar:

• 4/4 — four beats per bar. By far the most common in pop, rock and metal. Count 1 2 3 4.
• 3/4 — three beats per bar, like a waltz. Count 1 2 3.
• 6/8 — six fast pulses grouped in two (1 2 3 4 5 6). It has a rolling, swaying feel, common in ballads and blues.

The first beat of every bar (the downbeat) usually feels the strongest.

Note values

Each note value lasts half as long as the previous one. In 4/4:

Note	Beats	Count it
Whole note	4	1 (2 3 4)
Half note	2	1 (2) 3 (4)
Quarter note	1	1 2 3 4
Eighth note	½	1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Sixteenth note	¼	1 e & a 2 e & a …

Click each row to hear how one bar is divided:

Rests are silences with the same lengths: a quarter rest is one beat of silence, and so on. In rock, the silences are as important as the notes — think of how a heavy riff stops and starts.

Triplets and swing

A triplet divides a beat into three equal parts: 1-trip-let 2-trip-let. When you play eighth notes with a "long–short" triplet feel, you get swing or shuffle — the groove of blues and many rock classics. We'll use it in the blues lesson.

Practice with a metronome

The metronome is your best friend. Start slow, count out loud, and play exactly on the click.