Simple Rhythms In Simple Time
This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
If you can’t wait to get to the exercises, click here. Otherwise, first some background.
Simple Time
Simple time refers to time signatures where the upper number = the number of beats in a bar and the lower number represents the note value for 1 beat. For example:
- 3/2 = 3 beats per bar, where each beat is a 1/2 note (minim)
- 5/4 = 5 beats per bar, where each beat is a 1/4 note (crotchet)
- 4/8 = 4 beats per bar, where each beat is a 1/8 note (quaver)
- 3/16 = 3 beats per bar, where each beat is a 1/16 note (semiquaver)
Why can so many note values represent 1 beat?
This is a subject for a future post but in essence, it allows the composer to influence the look of the written page. Just as we have different ways of explaining something, a composer can present musical information in a number of ways.
X/4
By far the most frequently used time signatures in simple time are X/4, where 1 beat is represented by a crotchet (quarter note), such as 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 etc.
In simple time it’s easy to divide a beat into halves and quarters using standard note values. If a crotchet = 1 beat, then a quaver = 1/2 beat and a semiquaver = 1/4 beat.
For a refresher on these time signatures, visit 6. Time Signatures 1 – Simple Time.
Beaming
When there are several notes with tails in succession (quavers, semiquavers etc.) their tails are beamed (joined) together.
Notes are beamed in groups of one beat (quavers can also be beamed in groups of 2 beats), with the first note in the group being on the beat. This makes it easy to see where the beats are in a bunch of short notes.
(Sib Graphic of 2 bars of 4/4 mixed rhythms)
Resolution
Music is a human experience. Our ability to count steadily roughly matches the range of human heart rates, about 40 to 200 bpm.
At a tempo slower than about 40 bpm we can’t feel the continuity between beats and it becomes hard to keep the beats at an even tempo.
For really slow tempi we can effectively double the resolution by doubling the counting speed; by counting the “and”s, the second half of each beat. The more frequent counts allow us to keep track of the timing.
On the other hand, at a tempo faster than about 200 bpm it’s hard to feel each beat. We just can’t keep up… We’re tempted to just count the strong beats so we can count more slowly.
In both cases, when the tempo is outside a comfortable counting speed, we can adjust the resolution by changing what we count as 1 beat.
The Zoom Factor
When practising a tricky piece of music, the first step is to slow the tempo right down so we have a chance to learn the notes.
However, some pieces don’t just have a fast tempo; the beats are divided into really short notes, 1/4 of a beat or even shorter. Even at a slow tempo, the actual notes can still be really fast…
The solution is to count the “and”s; to count a half beat as if it’s a beat. By counting twice as often, we can slow the tempo down to half without it feeling too slow to count. For more on this, please visit 3. Beats, Tempo and Timing.
I liken this to zooming in.
When zoomed in, fast rhythms are much easier to learn. Instead of having to divide a beat into quarters, you only need to divide into halves.
For example:
How To Learn A Fast Or Tricky Rhythm
- Zoom in and count every half-beat as a beat at a slow tempo.
- Gradually speed it up until it’s fast enough to zoom out.
- Without changing the playing speed, count half as often, so you’re counting the actual beats.
- Gradually build up to the final tempo of the piece.
The Percussion Clef
The exercises that follow use a percussive sound (a snare drum). Drums and percussion have their own clef, where the lines and spaces represent different percussion instruments rather than note pitches. (Cymbals and some other percussion instruments also use differently shaped noteheads).
Common 1-Beat Rhythms In X/4
In X/4, a beat can be made up of a combination of quavers and semiquavers. In principle, we can go even further, into demisemiquavers (1/8 of a beat) or more, but that’s quite advanced.
There aren’t many ways to divide a beat into halves and quarters. These rhythms make a small enough list to learn as presets. In the example below I have written each beat as a bar of 1/4.
Even at 60 bpm, some of these rhythms sound quite tricky at first glance. They are much easier to learn if we zoom in.
Clap, Tap, Sing or Play
- You can practise rhythms anywhere, by tapping on a tabletop, clapping or singing a simple syllable like “da”, “do”, “la” etc.
- You can also play your instrument. Note that on keyboards and some melodic instruments it’s easier to play fast by alternating between 2 or 3 note pitches than to repeat a single note rapidly. Adapt the exercises accordingly…
Try These…
The following exercises have a metronome click to keep track of the beats. In the first group the rhythms are zoomed in so we count each quaver as a beat and each semiquaver as half a beat.
Each bar is played 4 times. The text “play 4 times” above the repeat signs has been left out to save space.
Note: For more on repeats and other navigation signs, please visit my beginner’s tip, How To Navigate Music 1: Animated Tour.
- Make sure that you count at a steady tempo when practising. Tap or play each rhythm a number of times before trying at a faster tempo.
- Emphasise the first note of every beat a little, especially if practising without a metronome. This helps you to feel the beats.
The first three rhythms are pretty straightforward at a moderately slow tempo when zoomed in…
NOTE: If you’re having trouble getting started…
- Zoom in twice and count each semiquaver as a beat. A quaver is 2 beats long, a dotted quaver = 3 beats and a crotchet = 4 beats: no dividing required.
- Gradually increase the tempo, then zoom out to quaver beats and continue with the following steps.
Practise each of these rhythms until you can feel them effortlessly. Start at a slow tempo and gradually work up to at least 120 bpm.
Once they’re at 120 bpm, count half as often without changing how fast you play the notes. Now we’re counting crotchet beats at 60 bpm!
This should sound the same as the previous step…
From here, we can gradually increase the tempo depending on the piece. I recommend practising until at least 100 bpm. Try to absorb the character of each rhythm as you practise.
As you become more familiar with each rhythm, leave out the “and”s.
Now let’s look at the other rhythms, one at a time. Follow the same steps as for the first three rhythms.
Bar 4
Bar 4 is probably easier after playing bar 2 first. Again, we’ll start by counting quavers as beats, at a moderate tempo. Feel the quavers, then add in the 2nd semiquaver.
- Gradually increase the tempo until it’s at 120 bpm.
- Now count crotchets at 60 bpm (it should sound the same as before).
- Gradually increase the tempo (examples below at 80 bpm and 100 bpm).
Bar 5
Bar 5 is probably easier after playing bar 3 first. Feel all the semiquavers, then leave out the last one.
Note: It’s easy to get bars 4 and 5 mixed up. The difference is more obvious if you emphasise the first note of the bar.
- Gradually increase the tempo until it’s at 120 bpm.
- Now count crotchets at 60 bpm (it should sound the same as before).
- Gradually increase the tempo (examples below at 80 bpm and 100 bpm).
Bar 6
Bar 6 is one of the harder rhythms because there is no note on the 2nd beat. Listen for the 2nd beat before playing the last note.
- Gradually increase the tempo until it’s at 120 bpm.
- Now count crotchets at 60 bpm (it should sound the same as before).
- Gradually increase the tempo (examples below at 80 bpm and 100 bpm).
Bar 7
To play bar 7, hold the first note until after you’ve heard the 2nd beat. Listen for the 2nd beat before playing the last note.
- Gradually increase the tempo until it’s at 120 bpm.
- Now count crotchets at 60 bpm (it should sound the same as before).
- Gradually increase the tempo (examples below at 80 bpm and 100 bpm).
Bar 8
To play bar 8, play the first 2 notes quickly then hold the 2nd note all the way to the end of the bar.
- Gradually increase the tempo until it’s at 120 bpm.
- Now count crotchets at 60 bpm (it should sound the same as before).
- Gradually increase the tempo (examples below at 80 bpm and 100 bpm).
Rhythmic Presets
Practise tapping or playing each one-beat rhythm until you can recognise it at a glance. When you see a bar with a seemingly complex rhythm you can break it down beat by beat into familiar presets.
Can you recognise the one-beat rhythms in the following short melody? Tap or clap along if you can…
Notating Rhythms
Once you can recognise the character of each rhythm, you will become familiar with how it looks on a stave.
Bear in mind that tails and beams depend on the direction of the note stems. In a pitched part, some groups may appear upside down as in the above melody.
Try These…
The following audio files are each made up of a 1-beat rhythm played 8 times.
- Tap or count the beats so you can feel the tempo as you listen to each audio file.
- Once you feel the tempo, listen to the rhythm and clap, tap, sing or play the rhythm.
- Identify which rhythm you’re hearing/playing.
- Notate each rhythm as a series of correctly beamed note values (since the pitch doesn’t matter, you can use blank paper instead of manuscript if you like).
Answers at the end of this post.
Reading Rhythms
Long notes are relatively easy to read – we can just count a number of beats while holding the note. Short notes are a bit harder because we have to divide a beat into smaller values such as 1/2 or 1/4 of a beat.
This is where rhythmic presets come in. Rather than having to learn a longer rhythm from scratch, look for one-beat presets within the music so you can recall the rhythms you’ve already learnt.
Rhythm Practice
A great way to practise rhythms is to combine it with your scales practice.
- Choose a one-beat rhythm and repeat it on each scale note.
- Over time, build up the tempo.
- Each day, play a different scale with a different rhythm.
Another good exercise is to write out a bar of 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4 made up of a combination of 1-beat rhythms, then learn to tap or play the whole bar as a larger rhythm. For example:
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NEXT LESSON: 21. Note Values 2: Ties
PART 1 CONTENTS: Basic Music Theory Course Contents
Answers To Try These…
