Time & Counting
The top number says how many beats live in a bar; the bottom says which note gets one. Pick a meter and hear it counted — three click strengths reveal the hierarchy real musicians feel.
4/4 — Common time
Four steady quarter-note beats. The default heartbeat of pop, rock, jazz, and most everything else — so common it has its own symbol, C.
Hear it in: Nearly everything on the radio
Count out loud along with the clicks — actually out loud. It feels silly and it works; internalized counting is what lets you read rhythm at sight.
Note values — how long is a note?
Each value is half the previous one, and a dot adds half again (a dotted half = 3 beats). In 4/4, one whole note, two halves, four quarters, or eight eighths all fill exactly one bar — rhythm is just arithmetic you can dance to.
How to practice counting
Start with beats only, counting aloud until the strong ONE feels inevitable. Add the "ands" when eighth notes appear in your music, and "1-e-&-a" only when sixteenths do. When a rhythm confuses you, slow the tempo way down, count the smallest subdivision the music contains, and clap the rhythm against the click before touching the keys.