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Rhythm Reading
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Lesson 43 Reading in 2/4: 16 bars

  • Practice
  • 2/4
  • 80 bpm
  • 16 bars
  • 37 claps
80 bpm

About this exercise

Sixteen bars of 2/4 at 80 bpm, 37 claps. With such short bars, the four lines go by quickly and the score feels long. The third phrase is the most delicate: it starts in silence (bar 9) and ends with a whole bar of half rest (bar 12).

After that silence, the last phrase comes back with eighth notes in every position and four eighth notes in a row in bar 15. Use the count "1 & 2 &" quietly during the rests so you don't lose your place.

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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 80 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 quarter notes 1 2
2 2 eighth notes, quarter note 1 & 2
3 quarter note, 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)
9 quarter rest, 2 eighth notes [1] 2 &
10 4 eighth notes 1 & 2 &
11 2 quarter notes 1 2
12 half rest [1] [2]
13 2 eighth notes, quarter note 1 & 2
14 quarter note, 2 eighth notes 1 2 &
15 4 eighth notes 1 & 2 &
16 half note 1 (2)

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