## Bar Line

A bar line is the vertical line crossing the staff that divides music into measures. A double bar line marks the end of a section, and a thick double bar marks the end of the piece.

Bar lines exist so your eye can find its place. They also tell you where the strong beat is: the note right after a bar line is the downbeat, and it carries a natural emphasis whether or not anything says so.


## How To Spot Bar Line

Vertical lines cutting through the staff at regular intervals. Two thin lines together mean a section ended; thin-then-thick means you are finished.


## Find It In Thirty Seconds

Count the bar lines in the first system of any piece. Then play the first note after each one slightly stronger and hear the music find its pulse.

Open any piece of sheet music on this site and do it now. Reading is a recognition skill, and recognition is built by finding things, not by reading about them.