Meter and tonality have been approached in OTEC courses through sound rather than music theory, speaking to the musical mind of both children and teachers. A bit of theory is presented here for those who also want some theoretical understanding of the characteristic sounds of meters and tonalities used in OTEC courses, with tonalities being compared to major. Knowing meters and tonalities in sound is far more important than theoretical explanations.

Meters—Usual meters—Duple, Triple, and Combined—have macro beats of equal duration divided into micro beats. Duple, for example, is divided into two micro beats, while Triple is divided into three micro beats, yet macro beats within an individual meter are equal in duration. Unusual meters—Unusual Paired and Unusual Unpaired, have micro beats of equal duration, grouped into macro beats of unequal durations. Unusual Paired, for example, consists of five equal micro beats grouped into macro beats of unequal durations—one with two micro beats, the other with three.

Tonalities—Dorian, Phrygian, Aeolian, and Minor, each have a minor 3rd. In addition, Dorian, Phrygian, and Aeolian all have a lowered seventh. Phrygian, Aeolian, and Minor each have a lowered sixth. Additional characteristic tones that distinguish these tonalities from each other are the major 6th in Dorian, the lowered 2nd in Phrygian, and the raised 7th in minor. Mixolydian, Lydian, and Major each have a major 3rd. In addition, Lydian and Major both have a major 7th. Additional characteristic tones that distinguish these tonalities from each other include the raised 4th in Lydian and lowered 7th in Mixolydian. [Please note that improvisations as well as songs in any tonality have to include all characteristic tones to fully define the tonality. A number of tonalities differ only by a half step. An improvisation in a tonality with a minor 3rd and lowered 7th, for example, without the characteristic 6th tone, could be either Dorian or Aeolian. Similarly, a major 6th and lowered 7th without the characteristic 3rd could be either Dorian or Mixolydian, and a major 3rd and raised 7th without the characteristic 4th could be either Major or Lydian. Only an occasional melody can fully define a tonality in fewer than all characteristic tones. For example, the lowered 2nd is unique to Phrygian, so a song that might include the lowered 7th, lowered 3rd and lowered 2nd would be uniquely Phrygian, even without the lowered 6th.]