Skip to content
Rhythm Reading
EN

Lesson 12 2/4: eighth notes and rests

  • Practice
  • 2/4
  • 66 bpm
  • 8 bars
  • 17 claps
66 bpm

About this exercise

Still in 2/4, now with quarter rests among the eighth notes, at 66 bpm. In bar 2 the rest comes after the eighth notes ("1 & [2]"); in bar 3 it comes before them ("[1] 2 &"). That swap of place is the heart of the exercise.

Bar 3 is the most delicate: it starts in silence and the claps come in only on beat 2. With such a short bar, there is no time to hesitate. Say "1" quietly, hands open, and come in firmly on "2 &".

View Details

How to play it

  1. Count-in: the site counts 1 bar before starting ("1 2"). Clap the first note on beat 1 of bar 1.
  2. Reading: read the line on the yellow strip and look ahead to the next one: that's how you read ahead.
  3. 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.
  4. Rests: hands open, no clapping, and keep counting in silence.
  5. Eighth notes: count "1 & 2 &"; the "&" falls exactly in the middle of the beat.

How to practice

  1. Say the count out loud, without clapping, looking at the Bar by bar table.
  2. In Together mode, count and clap at the same time as the character.
  3. In Your turn mode, clap on your own. If it's hard, slow down and then come back.

Goal: ★★★ three times in a row at 66 bpm. Then the lesson is completed.

The full practice method →

Bar by bar

Bold = clap · (n) = don't clap, the sound keeps going (hands together) · [n] = rest, hands open.

Bar Notes Count
1 2 eighth notes, quarter note 1 & 2
2 2 eighth notes, quarter rest 1 & [2]
3 quarter rest, 2 eighth notes [1] 2 &
4 half note 1 (2)
5 4 eighth notes 1 & 2 &
6 quarter note, quarter rest 1 [2]
7 2 eighth notes, quarter note 1 & 2
8 half note 1 (2)

Notes used: half note, quarter note, eighth note, quarter rest.