この曲は拍子が取りにくい。
This song is hard to keep the beat to.
拍子に合わせて踊る。
Dance to the beat.
Often used in the pattern 〜した拍子に to mean 'at the very moment of doing something' or 'when something happened, then...'.
立ち上がった拍子に、めまいがした。
The moment I stood up, I felt dizzy.
くしゃみをした拍子に、眼鏡が落ちた。
When I sneezed, my glasses fell off.
Just as I stood up suddenly, I bumped into the table.
The teacher sang while keeping the beat with her hand.
The performers were perfectly in time with each other.
Because of nervousness, my timing got thrown off.
拍子 refers to beat or time signature generally, while 調 as a suffix names a specific rhythmic pattern, as in 二拍子調.
拍子 often points to a rhythmic or coincidental moment ('at the moment when...'), whereas 弾み suggests a bounce-like trigger that sets an impulsive action off.
smoothly; easily; without a hitch
wooden clappers
duple time; duple meter; two-four time
oral timekeeping; counting time aloud
quadruple time; four-four time; common time · the four instruments of noh accompaniment
irregular time; irregular metre
small wooden clappers; rakugo scene-change markers
dancing girl (late Heian period) · prostitute · tempo in gagaku
clapper (gagaku instrument)
keeping time by tapping one's knees
beating time with one's foot; foot-tapping rhythm
time signature