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Rhythm Reading
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Lesson 23 3/4: eighth notes and dotted half note

  • Practice
  • 3/4
  • 66 bpm
  • 8 bars
  • 21 claps
66 bpm

About this exercise

Eighth notes and dotted half notes alternate bar by bar, at 66 bpm: a busy bar, with eighth notes in different positions, and right after it a whole bar of hands together. It is the strongest contrast of the block so far.

The switch from the busy bar to the long note requires control: after the quick claps, the dotted half note comes in exactly on 1 and must not be cut short. Notice bar 7, which ends with eighth notes on beat 3, right at the door of the last bar.

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How to play it

  1. Count-in: the site counts 1 bar before starting ("1 2 3"). 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 (dotted half note) clap and keep your hands together until the end of the note: hands together = the sound keeps going.
  4. 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, 2 quarter notes 1 & 2 3
2 dotted half note 1 (2) (3)
3 quarter note, 2 eighth notes, quarter note 1 2 & 3
4 dotted half note 1 (2) (3)
5 4 eighth notes, quarter note 1 & 2 & 3
6 dotted half note 1 (2) (3)
7 2 quarter notes, 2 eighth notes 1 2 3 &
8 dotted half note 1 (2) (3)

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