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Question on reading music?

I've been playing instruments a while, but by ear. I'm starting to read music now and I'm confused. I know how each beat counts and how they're related, but how do you figure out exactly how many seconds each beat is in a song if you've never heard it before? Is it possible? For example a composer could make a quarter note 1 second but in a slower song, s/he could make it 2. And how then can you tell by listening (not looking at sheet music) if a song is doing a 4/4 time signature with 1 second quarter notes versus a 4/8 time signature with 1 second eighth notes. Since both would technically have the same duration. I'm not sure if I arriculated that correctly, but if someone understands, please help(:

Thanks

1 Answer

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  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    That's a very good question but there is no perfect answer. From time to time the sheet music will either specify a tempo (in beats per minute) or at least suggest one (with a word like "sprightly"). The rest of the time you need to feel your way through it by playing it at what you feel is a reasonable tempo for the song.

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