About Rhythm Reading

What it is

Rhythm Reading (Leitura Rítmica) is an online course to learn to read the rhythm of a score. Instead of starting with an instrument, students start with their hands: they read the musical symbols and perform them by clapping along with a metronome. The site shows an animated score, plays the pulse and instantly checks whether each clap landed on time.

The course is open, free and needs no sign-up. It runs in the browser on a computer, tablet or phone, and it is available in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

How the course was designed

The central idea is that every step should be small enough to take without help. That is why:

• Each lesson uses only what the previous ones taught. Notes and rests are introduced one at a time, first alone, then in different positions in the bar and finally mixed.
• The body takes part. Hands together show that the sound continues (long notes); hands open show silence (rests). That way note lengths are felt, not just calculated.
• Together first, then alone. In each lesson, students follow a character who claps the right rhythm (Together mode) before trying without help (Your turn mode).
• Completion takes consistency. A lesson is only complete with 3 stars three times in a row, so success doesn't depend on luck.

What is already published

Beginner 1 and Beginner 2 are complete on the site, with 50 lessons each. Beginner 1 covers pulse, quarter, half and whole notes and their rests, in 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4 time, with tempos from 60 to 80 bpm. Beginner 2 goes on with the eighth note and the dotted half note, with tempos from 60 to 88 bpm. Each lesson has its own explanation, a bar-by-bar count and, as they are recorded, a video on the YouTube channel in all three languages.

The full beginner course has four levels. The next ones bring offbeats, the dotted quarter note and syncopation (Beginner 3) and sixteenth notes (Beginner 4).

Besides the lessons, the site has written guides on the course concepts, on how to practice and on the most common mistakes, and a reference page with all the notes and rests.

Who makes it

Rhythm Reading is developed and maintained by CompilerApps, which takes care of the lesson content, videos, translations and the site. The scores, animations and clap assessment are built with in-house tools created specially for the course.

How the site stays free

The site shows Google AdSense ads, labeled “Advertisement”. They help pay for hosting and for producing new lessons and videos. We don't sell data and we don't ask for any personal information: progress is tied to an anonymous code stored in your browser. Details are in the privacy policy and the terms of use.

Get in touch

Found a mistake in a lesson, have a suggestion or use the course with your students? Tell us through the contact page.