group of two notes
In "counting" music, it is customary to give as many counts to each measure as the numerator of the fraction indicates. Each of these counts is called a pulse. Pulses should occur regularly unless otherwise marked. Irregularities in the occurrence of pulses are marked in various ways. The ritardando, the hold (
), and the accelerando are the principal marks of irregularities. The ritardando (abbreviated ritard. or rit.) means to lessen the speed, the accelerando (abbreviated accel.) to quicken the speed, and the hold (
) to hold the note, over or under which it is placed, as long as musical taste dictates.
This occurrence of pulses is called rhythm. The most common rhythms are 44 or
, 34, 24, 68, 38, 48, 98, 128, and 22 or