Music is Math You Can Feel

Music is rhythm. Language is rhythm. Play is rhythm. When we improve rhythm, we make other areas of life easier and more enjoyable.  ​

To teach the most fundamental part of music to yourself, or your kids, find the beat, what we in music call the down beat or the one.

This is the first beat in the rhythmic cycle of a piece or song. Most songs on the radio are in a 4-beat cycle, and so is The Alphabet Song. When you clap along and count, on the down beat, or first beat of each cycle, it will go something like this:

A            B            C            D    
One       Two     Three      Four
(CLAP)

E            F            G            ----    
One       Two      Three      Four
(CLAP)

H            I            J            K    
One       Two     Three      Four
(CLAP)

L    M    N   O     P             ----
One       Two     Three      Four
(CLAP)
​
This song has four beats in its rhythmic cycle. There are songs with two beats, three beats, six beats, eight beats and even five and seven beats. 

Find the Beat is a fun game to play on your own or with your family. While listening to music, try to hear the strongest pulse in the beat. You will notice that it repeats itself regularly. Then count one out loud when you hear that beat. You may tap or clap with your one. Notice how fast the other beats go by in between pulses. Begin to count along with those. Eventually you will find yourself counting to the same number over and over again before you get back to one. That’s the beat … you have found it!

Excerpted from the Amazon exclusive:

I created the song Add it Up to help you find the beat! Click on the button below and then scroll down to the media box for the song Add it Up. The beat changes throughout the song: Can you still find it?

Listen to Add it Up