What is the difference between the steady beat and the rhythm? how can we tell if a song is in 3/4 time or 4/4 time? make sure to mention what we can do with our bodies to us figure out the time signature and how the time signature will sound to our ears if it is correct. why do we use the quarter note as our “home base” that we measure all other note durations against? why is timbre an important musical element? what is the difference between a half-step and a whole-step on the piano? critical thinking questions how are the steady beat and the rhythm similar to raindrops on a river? we discussed that we should study the musical elements so that we can pick up a new piece of music and read it right away. what are two other reasons we should study musical elements, and why? why is it important that the steady beat stays the same within a piece of music? why is it important for instruments to have different timbres? what time signature is this song in? how do you know?