Meter
A Regular Pattern of accented and unaccented beats used in both poetry and music
In music, meter is divided into measures (bars)
Measure 1 Bar line Measure 2
Duple Meter
> - | > - | > -
1 2 | 1 2 | 1 2
Bar line
2 beats per measure with an accent on the first beat of each measure
Accented beat
Unaccented beat
Counts
Quadruple Meter 4 beats per measure with a main accent on the
first beat of each measure and a secondary accent on the third beat.
> - > - | > - > -
1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4
Triple Meter
3 beats per measure with an accent on the first beat of each measure
> - - | > - - 1 2 3 |1 2 3
Triple Meter
“Old Time Waltz” by Mel’s Polka Stars
See if you can feel the triple meter in this clip by watching the dancers.
Beat Division (Subdivision)
Music most often has two or more notes for each beat; that is, the beat can be subdivided into groupings of 2, 3, or 4.
For example, in duple meter, we could have two or four notes for every beat. When we subdivide a beat, we use the syllables “e,” “&,” “uh” as well as the number of the beat to count out the beat and subdivisions. The following example is counted–
1 & 2 e 3 & 4 e |1 & 2 e & uh 3 e and 4
Beat Division (Subdivision)
The main subdivisions of a meter can be either—
Simple Duple-- 2 or 4 subdivisions per beat
CompoundTriple-- 3 or 6 subdivisions per beat
•Klezmer MusicEastern European Dance
and Celebration Music
•KlezmorimPerformers of Klezmer
•Ashkenazi JewsJews who settled in Eastern
Europe
Klezmer Music
Common Klezmer Instruments
violin (fiddle)strohfiedel (folk xylophone)tsimbl (hammered dulcimer)
flutebassclarinetaccordiontrumpettubadrums
Klezmer music characteristics
Primarily Celebration MusicMarches, Dances (duple meter, some triple)
Second Genre: DoinaFree and rhapsodic (often serving as introduction)
Characteristic Soundswailing sound––weeping; laugh-like sound;sob-like “catch,” especially in the clarinet Maxwell Street Klezmer Band
(click on image to watch movie)
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