[Intro] Class is live, lock the click, Four count hits, then the drums kick. Notes make sound, beats make drive, Bars keep every pattern alive. Top and bottom mark the law, Count it right or lose it all. Blegh! [Verse] Whole note holds for four full counts, Half note holds for two. Quarter note gets one hard hit, Eighth notes split in two. Sixteenths run at double speed, Rests mean do not play. Dots add half the note before, Stillness has its say. Are you keeping up with me? Whole gets four, half gets two, Quarter walks the pulse right through. Eighths divide, sixteenths attack, Cut the count and bring it back. Stem, flag, dot, rest, tie, Every mark tells when to fly. Sound and space both have a seat, That is how we build the beat. [Chorus] Are you keeping up with me? One, two, three, four, hit steady. Are you keeping up with me? Notes get chopped when the riff gets heavy. Are you keeping up with me? Bar by bar, we lock it down. Are you keeping up with me? Time tells everyone how to count. [Verse] Beat is the pulse beneath the track, Tempo tells the pace. BPM means beats per minute, Speed inside the race. Strong beats land with bigger weight, Weak beats push between. Tap your foot and feel the grid, That is what we mean. Are you keeping up with me? Beat is body, rhythm moves, Tempo sets the racing grooves. Kick hits hard, snare snaps back, Bassline locks the whole attack. Quarter notes keep marching clean, Eighths put motion in between. Sixteenths chatter, triplets sway, Same pulse, different way to play. Offbeat hits can twist the floor, Still they answer one through four. Push it late or strike ahead, Count survives inside your head. [Chorus] Are you keeping up with me? One, two, three, four, hit steady. Are you keeping up with me? Notes get chopped when the riff gets heavy. Are you keeping up with me? Bar by bar, we lock it down. Are you keeping up with me? Time tells everyone how to count. [Verse] Measure is the box of beats, Bar lines mark the wall. Fill it right with note values, Too much breaks the call. Four beats fit in common time, Three can turn and sway. Every bar contains the groove, Then moves out of the way. Are you keeping up with me? Bar to bar, the riff repeats, Four-count room beneath our feet. First bar sets it, next replies, Third one bends, fourth one climbs. That is how a hook can land, Pattern held inside the band. Drums and bass keep walls in place, Vocals cut across the space. Count the bar, respect the grid, That is where the groove is hid. Top number says how many beats Live inside each bar. Bottom says which note gets one, That is where we are. Four-four means four quarter hits, Big riffs love that drive. Three-four turns in groups of three, Six-eight rolls alive. Are you keeping up with me? [Bridge] Four-four: stomp, stomp, move, attack. Three-four: turn, turn, circle back. Six-eight: roll, roll, surge, release. Change the count, change the beast. Are you keeping up with me? [Breakdown] Whole note four, half note two, Quarter gets one, now count it through. Eighth notes split, sixteenths race, Rests leave room in the open space. Dots add half, ties sustain, Stems and flags make timing plain. Beat is pulse, tempo is rate, BPM makes the whole thing skate. Measure is the box, bar lines close it, Fill it right so the band still knows it. Top says how many beats go in, Bottom says which note gets the win. Four-four pounds with a steady feel, Three-four turns like a spinning wheel. Six-eight rolls in a grouped-up ride, Theory hits hard when the counts collide. Are you keeping up with me? [Final Chorus] Are you keeping up with me? One, two, three, four, hit steady. Are you keeping up with me? Notes get chopped when the riff gets heavy. Are you keeping up with me? Beat, bar, tempo, measure, repeat. Are you keeping up with me? Count it out and move your feet. [Outro] Notes give duration. Beats give motion. Measures give structure. Time signature gives command. Class dismissed. Blegh!
