A quick google search will reveal common answers, such as, beat is a steady "pulse" of music, beat is the foundation of rhythm, or beat is a basic unit. However, to me these are vague answers and I can't seem to understand precisely what the beat is, how to identify, and distinguish it.
What does this pulse look like exactly,
Is a beat in music every time a new note is played, similar to, beats per minute(bpm)?
I know what meter is: its the number of beats in a measure and the beat(s) that are accented.
Therefore, if a beat actually is every occurrence of a note then why can a 4/4 meter have 8 eight notes, meaning 8 notes occur in one measure, when the meter states it is a beat of 4. So, is a beat the same as a quarter note?
Can a beat exist on its own, or is it a system of other things? Can a beat be expressed outside of a measure or meter, (like a pitch can be described without mentioning meter,tempo,etc)?Because meter cannot be described without mentioning beat or measure.
Is there more than one way to represent a beat? Meaning is it relative like tempo or absolute like bpm. One beat is the same in one piece of music as one beat in a completely different piece of music?
Please include examples using monophonic music notation and indefinite pitch, so I can isolate exactly what it looks like and understand visually. Thanks a lot this is really bugging me and I can't seem to move forward.