31.24/4 is not just “four notes per bar”

4/4 means:

four quarter-note beats, usually with a hierarchy such as strong–weak–medium–weak.

So:

ONE two THREE four

is a different bodily experience from:

3/4:

ONE two three

or 6/8:

ONE-two-three FOUR-five-six

The location of emphasis changes the identity of the phrase.