Determining the beginining and end of a bar

[Skaterdude77]

Hey, guys. I've been studying the music i listen to more and more, and I'm still having an issue with picking up where a bar (measure) begins and ends. Obviously, as a result i can not determine the time signatures for these beats. My cousin told me listen to the snare (or the sound that comes after the bass sound), and the the second snare sounds signals the end of the bar. Any tips? Much appreciated, thanks.

 

[No_Worries]

Well, if you're talking about standard rock or hip hop....

The snare *usually* falls on beats 2 and 4 of a four-beat measure (common time). The *main* kick will fall on 1 and 3.

So....

1 2 3 4
k s k s

Just remember that the bar won't actually BEGIN until the next kick after the snare on the fourth beat, so the time interval between the 4-snare and the 1-kick is also part of that measure.