Beat

A musical interval of time. In terms of timing songs are broken into measures, which are further subdivided into beats. While beats can certainly be subdivided into smaller timing increments it is generally considered to be the most basic element of timing in music. The beat is generally what people will tap their foot to in music. It is also used to measure the tempo or speed of music in terms of beats per minute. There may be different numbers of beats per measure in a song, depending upon the style and phrasing desired, and this number can even change many times during a song. Five beats per measure has a distinctly different ‘feel’ than three beats per measure.