What is the musical term for when the first bar in a piece of music has less beats than the rest of the piece?

Question

What is the musical term for when the first bar in a piece of music has less beats than the rest of the piece?

Answer 1

Pick up note or measure

Answer 2

i think your talking about the pick up note, or the pick up measure

Answer 3

The anacrucis - or pick up note.

Answer 4

i think its the pick up note.

Answer 5

Leslie G has the correct "technical" term, anacrusis.

The other answers are correct too but I think you're looking for the technical term.

Answer 6

Pick up note

Answer 7

pick up note. the note is just out in the front of the piece and the bar which it was taken from loses whatever the value of the pick up note is. Everything has to balance out.