Reading and Understanding Music

DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS
AT READING RHYTHM PATTERNS

Rhythm Exercises 1 to 30

NOTE VALUES

Firstly you will need to ensure that you are thoroughly familiar with the names and time values of each of the notes and rests.

When we read rhythm patterns we give the notes different sounds (called time names). The French time names are the easiest, but if you are familiar with the Kodaly system you may wish to use those names.

French Time Names

The crotchet is the basic beat for most pieces of music and it is give the sound name "Ta". Learn the following time names for the most common note values from the charts below.

ONE COUNT NOTES AND LARGER

Symbol & Time Name	Number of Beats	English Note Name	American Note Name
	one count	crotchet	quarter note
	one & a half counts	dotted crotchet	dotted quarter note
	two counts	minim	half note
	three counts	dotted minim	dotted half note
	four counts	semibreve	whole note

DIVISIONS OF ONE COUNT NOTES

Symbol & Time Name	Number of Beats	English Note Name	American Note Name
	one	crotchet	quarter note
	half each	quaver(s)	eighth note(s)
	quarter each	semiquaver(s)	sixteenth note(s)
	a third each	triplet quavers	triplet eighth notes
	¾ + ¼	Dotted quaver + a semiquaver	Dotted eighth note + a sixteenth note
	½ + ¼ +¼
	¼ + ¼ + ½

RESTS

Symbol & Time Name	Number of Beats	English Note Name	American Note Name
	one	crotchet rest	quarter note rest
	half	quaver rest	eighth note rest
	quarter	semiquaver rest	sixteenth note rest
	two	minim rest	half note rest
	four	semibreve rest	whole note rest

The following Rhythmic Exercises will help you develop your rhythm reading.

STEP 1   Examine the example you are about to sing, and read aloud the time names in a suitable tempo.

STEP 2   Now clap the rhythm pattern as you say the time names.

STEP 3   Finally, click anywhere on the Rhythm Exercise graphic so that you can hear the correct rhythm pattern and check your accuracy. Note that the first bar of the recorded exercise will be a click track to set the tempo.

Copyright Notice

These linked exercises were developed by Hedley Harwood for the Buderim Male Choir. Licence is granted to other Choirs to use this information for private study purposes, provided the Buderim Male Choir and Hedley Harwood are acknowledged as the source of this material and as copyright owners. This information is not to be used for commercial purposes.