Quarters and eighths
Write down rhythms of quarter, eighth and half notes by ear.
The pulse and its division
Under any rhythm runs an even pulse, the beats. A rhythmic dictation starts with feeling that pulse: a count-in plays before each task, so keep the beats going with it.
Then, for each beat, you need to decide one thing: does it carry one note (quarter note), two (eighth note + eighth note), or does a note hold on past it (half note)?
Quarters, eighths and a half note in four-four
Practice: How many notes?
Practice: Tap the rhythm
Rhythm syllables
Rhythms are easy to speak in syllables:
- a quarter: "ta";
- two eighths: "ti-ti";
- a half note: "ta-a".
Say what you heard in syllables, then turn the syllables into notes.
Listen not for which notes are long but for where notes begin. A new note right on the beat means a quarter; one between beats means eighths.