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Rhythm Reading
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Lesson 47 Long notes and eighth notes

  • Practice
  • 4/4
  • 80 bpm
  • 12 bars
  • 30 claps
80 bpm

About this exercise

The opposite of the previous lesson: here the challenge is holding. In 12 bars of 4/4 at 80 bpm there are four whole notes, dotted half notes and half notes, always next to eighth notes. There are only 30 claps, almost all of them quick, separated by long stretches of hands together.

Bar 7 deserves attention: two eighth notes and a dotted half note that starts on beat 2 and lasts until the end of the bar. After quick claps, the long note must last its full length. Count every beat of hands together as if you were clapping.

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. 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 4 eighth notes, half note 1 & 2 & 3 (4)
2 whole note 1 (2) (3) (4)
3 dotted half note, 2 eighth notes 1 (2) (3) 4 &
4 whole note 1 (2) (3) (4)
5 quarter note, 2 eighth notes, half note 1 2 & 3 (4)
6 dotted half note, quarter note 1 (2) (3) 4
7 2 eighth notes, dotted half note 1 & 2 (3) (4)
8 whole note 1 (2) (3) (4)
9 4 eighth notes, half note 1 & 2 & 3 (4)
10 2 half notes 1 (2) 3 (4)
11 quarter note, dotted half 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.