Musical Questions

Question

How do I say BEAT in Mexican Spanish? Should I use ritmo or latido? I am a conductor who will be conducting an orchestra in Mexico.

Here are the phrases I need to be able to communicate to the musicians in the orchestra:

"I will count three beats."

"On beat three of measure four..."

If I can get accurate translations of these phrases, then I can adapt them as needed for other count-offs and measure numbers. It is very important for me to be able to tell the musicians where and when to start. Many of them speak very good English, but I want to be able to communicate with them in Spanish as much as possible.

Thank you for your help!

Answer 1

Beat (rhythm) = compás

Beat (rhythmic unit) = tiempo

I will count three beats = Marcaré/contaré un compás de tres tiempos

On beat three of measure four = compás de tres por cuatro or compás de tres cuartos

2/4 compás de dos por cuatro or compás de dos cuartos

3/4 compás de tres por cuatro or compás de tres cuartos

4/4 compás de cuatro por cuatro or compás de cuatro cuartos

Answer 2

el compás

Answer 3

Beat = tiempo

Beats = tiempos

On beat three of measure 4 = en el tiempo (número) 3 del ....

(I forgot measure... (blush) )