Learn Composing › Write Your First 8-Bar Melody › Lesson 1
⏱ ~7 min · Write Your First 8-Bar Melody (1/6)
This series has six lessons. Follow along to the end and you'll have written a complete 8-bar melody in C major, 4/4 time, called "Morning Walk." Each lesson teaches one concept and adds one piece to the song. Today we start with the container that will hold the whole thing: beats and measures.
That steady pulse that makes you tap your foot when a song plays — that's the beat. 4/4 time is an agreement that "four beats make one group." The two stacked numbers, like 4/4, are called a time signature: the top 4 tells you how many beats are in each group, and the bottom 4 tells you that a quarter note (♩) gets one beat. So in 4/4, each group is worth four quarter notes.
The box that holds each group is called a measure (or bar). The vertical lines on the staff — barlines — act as the walls between boxes. In 4/4, every measure must contain notes and rests that add up to exactly four beats. No more, no less.
There's more than one way to fill four beats. Swap quarter notes (1 beat) for half notes (2 beats), eighth notes (half a beat), or a whole note (4 beats), and the rhythm takes on a completely different character. In the example below, the first measure adds up to 1 + 0.5 + 0.5 + 2 = 4 beats, and the second is a single whole note worth 4. Combine them however you like — the only rule is that the total must equal 4.
The score below is eight empty measures, each holding just a whole rest. Click "▶ Open in Editor" and take a look at the eight boxes waiting to hold our song, "Morning Walk." Click through the measures and get a feel for the eight four-beat spaces that are ready for you — that's all you need to do today. Starting next lesson, we'll fill in the melody one piece at a time.