Downbeat
DEFINITION
The first beat of the measure. When played under the direction of a conductor, it is signified by the downward movement of the conductor's hand.the downward motion of the conductor's baton or hand, which marks the stressed beats in a bar. in 4/4 time, for example, these are the first and third beats of the bar; the upbeats are the unstressed second and fourth beats in the bar<br><br>The "main" pulse as it relates to the rest of the measure. If you have 8 eighth notes in a bar of 4/4 time, beats 1, 2, 3 and 4 would be considered the downbeat. The "and" of 1, "and" of 2, "and" of 3, and "and" of 4 would be the upbeat.