Rhythm: Lesson #2
LESSON POINTS:
Quaver and semiquaver rhythms
[eighth and sixteenth]
In the last lesson we counted crotchet (quarter note) beats as 1,2,3,4...
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|4/4-@|------@|------@|------@|-----|-@|------@|---- -@|------@|------||
| 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 ||
When these are divided into quavers, the extra notes are placed by counting
1,&,2,&,3,&,4,&. Notes are played both on the numbers, and the &s, with a
slight emphasis on the first of each pair:
|\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|4/4-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|-|-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--||
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & ||
We're now getting rather a lot of notes, so in order to make things clearer
the grouping of quavers into pairs (to make crotchets) and groups of four (to
make minims) is explicitly marked by joining the tails of the notes together
where this is possible, and makes semantic sense.
_____
|\ |\ | |
| | => | |
@| @| @| @|
_____________
|\ |\ |\ |\ | | | |
| | | | => | | | |
@| @| @| @| @| @| @| @|
So the previus pattern could be more clearly written as:
_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|4/4-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|-|-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--||
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & ||
We could even have grouped this pattern in eights, but this would probably
make it more difficult to read - the object is to make it obvious where the
strong beats lie. For this reason quavers should only be paired like this
when they form a larger beat, i.e., the following groupings are incorrect:
_____________ _________ _____________
|\ | | | | | | | |\ |\ | | | | |\ |\
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|4/4-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|-|-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--||
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & ||
So now for some quaver rhythms:
Every possible combination of crotchets and quavers is included in the
following excersise. Practise each bar individually, then try putting the
whole section together. Eventually you should be able to recognise a whole
bar bar a glance.
_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|4/4-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|-|-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____ _____________ _____ _____________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|----@|------@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|-|-@|--@|--@|------@|--@|--@|--@|--|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____________ _____ _____________ _____
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|----@|--@|--@|--@|--@|------@|--@|-|-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|------|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____________ _____ _____
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|----@|------@|------@|--@|--@|--@|-|-@|------@|--@|--@|------@|--@|--|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____ _____ _____ _____
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|----@|------@|--@|--@|--@|--@|-----|-@|--@|--@|------@|------@|--@|--|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____ _____ _____________
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|----@|--@|--@|------@|--@|--@|-----|-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|------@|------|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____ _____
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|----@|--@|--@|------@|------@|-----|-@|------@|--@|--@|------@|------|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____ _____
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|----@|------@|------@|--@|--@|-----|-@|------@|------@|------@|--@|--|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____________
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
|----@|------@|------@|------@|-----|-@|--@|--@|--@|--O|-------------||
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & ||
Once you've mastered each bar of the above individually you should be able
to sight read these rhythms, no matter what order they're presented in:
_____________ _____ _____ _____
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
|4/4-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|-----|-@|--@|--@|------@|------@|--@|--|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____ _____ _____ _____
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|----@|--@|--@|------@|--@|--@|-----|-@|------@|--@|--@|--@|--@|------||
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & ||
Semiquaver rhythms are rwice as fast as quaver rhythms, but the patterns are
exactly the same. Provided you've grasped the above exercises semiquavers
should be of no difficulty.
Semiquavers are grouped together into pairs, much like quavers are, but with
a double tail holding them together:
_____
|\ |\ +---+
|\ |\ => | |
@| @| @| @|
_____________
|\ |\ |\ |\ +---+---+---+
|\ |\ |\ |\ => | | | |
@| @| @| @| @| @| @| @|
In addition a pair of semiquavers may be grouped with a quaver to produce a
block of notes with the value of a crotchet:
_____________
|\ |\ |\ | +---+
| |\ |\ => | | |
@| @| @| @| @| @|
_____________
|\ |\ |\ +---+ |
|\ |\ | => | | |
@| @| @| @| @| @|
and so on into bigger groups. Practise each of these paterns in turn,to see
how they relate to the previously practised quaver/crotchet patterns.
For completeness here are a few patterns using semiquavers:
_____________ _________ _________
+---+---+---+ | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
|4/4-@|--@|--@|--@|--@|------@|------@|------@|------@|--------------|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____________ _____________ _____________ _________
+---+ | | +---+ +---+---+---+ | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|----@|--@|------@|--@|------@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|------@|------|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_________ _____________ ______________
| +---+ | | +---+ +---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | | | |
|----@|--------------@|--@|--@|------@|------@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--@|--|
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
_____________ _________ _________
+---+---+---+ | | +---+ | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|----@|--@|--@|--@|--@|------@|------@|--@|--@|------@|--------------||
| 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & ||
End of Lesson #2. [PREVIOUS Lesson#1] [NEXT Lesson#3] [Bass Lesson Archive]
These lessons are copyright of Sean Fox 1999. I would ask you not to use these lessons on your own pages without my permission, but...this is the internet, so what am I gonna do? Well, at least give me some form of credit if you do steal them :-) Cheers!
