Meter

Before we can reach an understanding of Meter, we first need to make sure we understand the term beat. Most music we hear today has a repetitive pulse that we can tap our foot, snap our fingers, or nod our heads to. This constant pulse is referred to as the beat. The beat usually occurs at regular intervals, and can be communicated to listeners in a variety of ways: the strumming of guitars, the plucks of a bass, the hitting of drums, and where a singer (or rapper) places her lyrics in time.

In many ways, the beat is the glue that allows musicians to play in groups; when they all feel the same beat they are easily able to play in sync with each other. But beats alone aren't enough to make music rhythmic. A ticking clock, someone's footsteps, a heartbeat, all meet the basic criteria for being a beat. Meter is when beats are organized into patterns of strong and weak beats.