Confused?

I often hear parents say "I can't keep a beat" or "I've got no rhythm" when they first come to class with their child.  Most really can keep a beat, and most either already have or soon develop the ability to keep accurate rhythm.

So what's the difference?

Beat is the evenly spaced, underlying pulse of a song or chant.  Clap your hands keeping the same time interval and you're keeping a beat.  We naturally keep a steady beat when we walk, or applaud, or even chew.  Most people can keep a steady beat without thinking about it.

Rhythm is a little trickier.  Rhythm is the combination of short and long, even and uneven sounds as they move through time.  The rhythm of a song includes the length of sounds and silences, as well as the pitch and emphasis.  The sounds and silences are put together in patterns, and repeated to form rhythm.  While the beat is constant, rhythm is variable.  

Use "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music as an example of rhythm:

"When the dog bites,
When the bee stings"

The rhythm is produced by the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in this lines. 

So then what is meter?  Meter is the pattern of evenly spaced rhythmic pulses.  We'll just look at Duple and Triple Meter.

Beats equally divided in two are called Duple Meter.  Say the word "apple" (ap-ple) and you'll hear a Duple Meter.  Beats divided evenly into three parts are called Triple Meter. Say the word "lemonade" (lem-on-ade) and you'll hear a Triple Meter.  

You might notice a strong-weak, strong-weak pattern of pulses in music, as in The Beatles "Love Me Do.".  You can clap then tap your knees in a steady 1-2 pattern. That's Duple Meter.  Or you might notice a strong-weak-weak pattern, as in a Waltz, which denotes Triple Meter.  You find it's easier to clap-tap-tap, 1-2-3.

That's the basics. 

Now it's time to put your knowledge into practice. Turn on your iPod, radio, or CD player and dance around the house.  See if you notice yourself moving to the beat, hearing the rhythm, or picking out the meter.  And most importantly- have fun doing it!