How to Count: Be Aware of the Beat

Why You Should Be Counting

The first step to developing strong rhythm is learning how to count.

When you begin playing guitar, you'll likely find that most music you encounter is grouped into 4 pulses. That means that all rhythms are created from groups of four beats, either by combining them, or dividing them into smaller parts.

Sometimes the pulse is heard very clearly, especially if the music has drums. However, we do not have to hear the pulse at all to know that rhythms are being created from it. Imagine an architect’s drawing on top of graph paper. The accuracy of the lines drawn is based on the lines of the graph, whether or not that graph is visible. Once the graph is removed, the drawing remains.

Since playing in time is one of the most important jobs you have (if not the most important), you’ll need to be able to do a few things to do your job correctly for any given piece of music. Being able to count helps you keep track of the beat and improves your time.

How to Count with Recorded Music

If you’ve never practiced counting before, there is no need to start when you are in the middle of trying to play a song. Instead, consider counting while you listen to some recorded music. This will make it much easier to learn.

Identify the meter

The meter refers to the way pulses are grouped, as in the case of groups of 4, or groups of 3. It’s probably safe to assume that the meter is 4. Try counting four first, and see if that sounds right.

Tap along

Tap what feels like the beat of the song. The beat is a straight and even pulse. All beats are the same. Use the tapping of your hand or foot to help guide yourself through the pulse.

Count along

If the meter is four, count the beats:

“1, 2, 3, 4”

These basic four beats of each group are called the downbeats. Of course, you can divide the downbeats into many other combinations. Take a look at our Introduction to Rhythm Notation guide if you are not sure how to do that.

Normally you will only count the downbeats, but there is often a need to count eighth notes that are between the downbeats. These are called upbeats, and are normally all counted with the word “and”. The first one is called “the ‘and’ of 1”, and so forth:

“1–and–2–and–3–and–4–and”

Advanced: Conducting

Conducting is a special movement of the hand that clearly marks each of the beats in the measure. In a measure of four beats, the hand will move down for the first beat, left for the second beat, right for the third beat, and up for the fourth beat. This can be very useful because now you can count with your hand. If some event happens when your hand is moving left, you know it must have happened on beat 2.

How to Count as You Play

Counting while you listen to music has to become second nature, or it will distract you from playing. Here are some methods that can help you get started.

Tap your foot

When you are playing guitar, you can’t use your hands to tap or conduct, unless you have an extra one you aren’t telling us about. So the best thing to do is to tap your foot to the beat as you play.

Count out loud

Counting in your head can quickly be drowned out by other thoughts. Try counting out loud as you play. This is harder than it sounds. You will be counting “1, 2, 3, 4” but playing one of many possible rhythms on top of that.

Count only active rhythms

This is a bit harder. You count all rhythms (including upbeats), but only if there is a note striking on that rhythm. It’s a little easier if you’re sight-reading, because now you can say the name of each beat as you play a note, for instance:

This would be counted: 1 and 3 and 1 and 2 and 4. Your foot would tap the “1, 2, 3, 4”

Always be counting

If you catch yourself not counting, return to counting.

The Result of Counting

Counting will make your time better. Eventually, you will learn to internalize the rhythm. You will basically always know what beat you’re on. You won’t remember counting the number “4” in your head, but you will know when you are on beat 4. This improved awareness is one of the most important foundations of good timekeeping.

Coda

If you want to improve your time, you’ve got to count. It’s tempting to skip counting, but it will make things harder later on if you aren’t aware of the beats you’re playing.

Key Exercises

• Put on any piece of music, and start counting along. What meter is it? Can you use a metronome to figure out what the tempo is?
• Strum a few chords, counting along as you do so.
• If you’ve learned to read music, see if you can count while you read. It’s okay to start with an example that you already know how to play.