Not all music begins on the first beat of a bar. In such cases, notes which come before the first full bar are called lead-in notes (or pick-up notes). When lead-in notes are used, the last bar is also incomplete. The notes in the lead-in and the notes in the last bar add up to one full bar.
This early Jazz standard was a favorite with brass bands in New Orleans. It contains three lead-in notes. On the recording there are five drumbeats to introduce this song. This gives you a whole bar, plus one beat to get the feel of the tempo before the lead-in. Notice the Bb note written as a key signature in this song, reminding you to play all B notes as Bb. The teacher’s part here is swung, as indicated by the symbol next to the title. Swing rhythms are common in Jazz and are discussed in detail in lesson 12.
This symbol is the common time signature.
Common time is the same as * time.
In this duet there is only one lead-in note.