Lesson 01 Splitting the beat in two
- Introduction
- 4/4
- 60 bpm
- 4 bars
- 21 claps
- New: eighth note
About this exercise
Beginner 2 begins and, with it, the first note that lasts less than one beat. Bars 1 and 3 are quarter notes, as in the previous level; bars 2 and 4 bring eighth notes, two claps in each beat. The alternation is there for comparison: the pulse doesn't change, only the number of claps inside it.
The secret is the count "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &". The number still lands on the metronome click and the "&" sits exactly in the middle, between one click and the next. In bar 4, after the four eighth notes, comes a half note: clap on 3 and keep your hands together until the end.
Before you start
The eighth note lasts half a beat: two eighth notes fit in one beat. When they are together, they are joined by a beam (the thick bar). Count "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &": the number falls on the beat and the "&" falls exactly in the middle.
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How to play it
- Count-in: the site counts 1 bar before starting ("1 2 3 4"). Clap the first note on beat 1 of bar 1.
- Reading: read the line on the yellow strip and look ahead to the next one: that's how you read ahead.
- Hands together: on notes longer than 1 beat (half note) clap and keep your hands together until the end of the note: hands together = the sound keeps going.
- Eighth notes: count "1 & 2 &"; the "&" falls exactly in the middle of the beat.
How to practice
- Say the count out loud, without clapping, looking at the Bar by bar table.
- In Together mode, count and clap at the same time as the character.
- In Your turn mode, clap on your own. If it's hard, slow down and then come back.
Bar by bar
Bold = clap · (n) = don't clap, the sound keeps going (hands together) · [n] = rest, hands open.
| Bar | Notes | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 quarter notes | 1 2 3 4 |
| 2 | 8 eighth notes | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
| 3 | 4 quarter notes | 1 2 3 4 |
| 4 | 4 eighth notes, half note | 1 & 2 & 3 (4) |
Notes used: half note, quarter note, eighth note.