https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/intro-to-music-theory-part-1-notes-timing-counting-more-beginner
Meet Mr. G who will teach you all you need to know to get going on this theory stuff.
Discuss the lesson: Intro to Music Theory Part 1- Notes, Timing, Counting, & More!
Even at this very simple level it would be very helpful to actually hear what the sample measures sounded like timing wise, even without the associated tones.
I’m having so much trouble with timing need help
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Welcome to the forum!
What part of timing are you not getting?
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Hi Patty! Welcome to the board!
What kind of trouble are you having? If you can describe it, that would be good. If you could post a video to show the trouble you’re having, that’d be even better.
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I just wentthrough the music theory lessons. Interesting. Carrying it one step further, it would be nice to see how the major and minor chords are applied to the neck of, which for me is, the banjo.
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Hi Richard 
to @BanjoBen 's Forum. As you work through the Beginners learning path, The Major & Minor chords on the banjo are explained in detail.
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Decided to start from the beginning and work through some things I’ve missed over the years. really enjoyed this lesson/explanation. And, Mr. G.'s coffee cup reminded me of my junior high math teacher…always had a coffee while teaching us. Blessings!
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Could an knowledgeable musician play the string of melody notes [about 1/2 way through the video] without having the measure “lines” … so long as the time signature was known? How different would it sound?
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Welcome to the forum @Owen!
Yes, the bar lines do not change the time signature necessarily. As long as the time signature is known, the notes played would sound exactly the same, as the duration of the notes is not changed by the bar lines (the bar lines are just there to provide distinct measures for organization).
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To add an analogy to @Michael_Mark 's excellent response… In most music, the measures are kind of akin to a paragraph. It makes it easier to reference (“look at the the 5th paragraph” instead of the “23rd sentence” or “534th word”), but you could still read a book if it weren’t broken into paragraphs.
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@Owen, there is often an ever so slight emphasis on the downbeat at the beginning of a measure. This is particularly noticeable when comparing a waltz in 3/4 time with a piece of music in 6/8 time. The waltz has a slight emphasis on the 1-beat of each “1-2-3” (or triplet), while the 6/8 time has two triplets within each measure and typically doesn’t have each emphasized. So the bars have a purpose, but @Michael_Mark and @Mike_R are correct with regards to the overall timing of notes. And carrying over the analogy of paragraphs that Mike discussed, you still get the same information on a page with a run-on paragraph, but the emphasis while reading shifts slightly when starting a new paragraph (and therefore sounds better).
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Love the explanation but for us ADHD brains out there, it is REALLY difficult to focus and conceptualize the material when there is other unrelated (fast) music playing in the background. This lesson could be improved substantially IMO if you remove the music in the background and play the simple beats and measures we’re seeing.
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