Lesson 34 Eighth notes and half rests
- Practice
- 4/4
- 72 bpm
- 8 bars
- 25 claps
About this exercise
Eighth notes and half rests: two beats full of claps and two whole beats of silence. In bar 1 the silence comes after the eighth notes; in bar 2 it comes before, and the bar starts silent. Bar 5 also opens with a half rest.
After two still beats, it is hard to come in with eighth notes in the exact place. Count "1, 2" inside, hands open, and release "3 &" on the click. At 72 bpm the silence goes by quickly: don't wait too long.
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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 (whole note) clap and keep your hands together until the end of the note: hands together = the sound keeps going.
- Rests: hands open, no clapping, and keep counting in silence.
- 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 eighth notes, half rest | 1 & 2 & [3] [4] |
| 2 | half rest, 4 eighth notes | [1] [2] 3 & 4 & |
| 3 | 2 eighth notes, quarter note, half rest | 1 & 2 [3] [4] |
| 4 | whole note | 1 (2) (3) (4) |
| 5 | half rest, 2 eighth notes, quarter note | [1] [2] 3 & 4 |
| 6 | 4 eighth notes, half rest | 1 & 2 & [3] [4] |
| 7 | 2 quarter notes, 2 eighth notes, quarter note | 1 2 3 & 4 |
| 8 | whole note | 1 (2) (3) (4) |
Notes used: whole note, quarter note, eighth note, half rest.