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Rhythm Reading
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Lesson 33 Three beats of eighth notes

  • Practice
  • 4/4
  • 72 bpm
  • 8 bars
  • 40 claps
72 bpm

About this exercise

Three beats of eighth notes in a row, six quick claps, and a quarter note to breathe. The exercise alternates the quarter note at the end ("1 & 2 & 3 & 4") and at the start ("1 2 & 3 & 4 &"), and there are 40 claps in 8 bars at 72 bpm.

When the quarter note comes first, the six eighth notes end on the "&" of 4, and the next bar starts right on top of it. It is good stamina training: light hands, small claps and your eyes always one bar ahead.

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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 and whole 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 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 6 eighth notes, quarter note 1 & 2 & 3 & 4
2 quarter note, 6 eighth notes 1 2 & 3 & 4 &
3 6 eighth notes, quarter note 1 & 2 & 3 & 4
4 whole note 1 (2) (3) (4)
5 6 eighth notes, quarter note 1 & 2 & 3 & 4
6 half note, 2 quarter notes 1 (2) 3 4
7 quarter note, 6 eighth notes 1 2 & 3 & 4 &
8 whole note 1 (2) (3) (4)

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