Skip to content
Rhythm Reading
EN

Lesson 29 4/4: 12 bars with dotted half notes

  • Practice
  • 4/4
  • 72 bpm
  • 12 bars
  • 34 claps
72 bpm

About this exercise

Now 12 bars of 4/4 at 72 bpm. The dotted half note appears at the start of the bar (bars 2, 7 and 11) and at the end (bar 5), next to eighth notes in two groups (bar 6), half notes and a rest after the long note (bar 7).

Notice the sequence of bars 7 and 8: a dotted half note with a rest and then two half notes. Those are long notes in a row, with a rest in the middle, and it is easy to lose count. Say every number, including the ones you don't clap.

View Details

How to play it

  1. Count-in: the site counts 1 bar before starting ("1 2 3 4"). 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, dotted half note and whole 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 72 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 4 quarter notes 1 2 3 4
2 dotted half note, quarter note 1 (2) (3) 4
3 4 eighth notes, half note 1 & 2 & 3 (4)
4 whole note 1 (2) (3) (4)
5 quarter note, dotted half note 1 2 (3) (4)
6 2 eighth notes, quarter note, 2 eighth notes, quarter note 1 & 2 3 & 4
7 dotted half note, quarter rest 1 (2) (3) [4]
8 2 half notes 1 (2) 3 (4)
9 2 eighth notes, 3 quarter notes 1 & 2 3 4
10 2 quarter notes, half note 1 2 3 (4)
11 dotted half note, quarter note 1 (2) (3) 4
12 whole note 1 (2) (3) (4)

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