Piano lessons Basic Rhythm Part 3

Piano lessons Basic Rhythm Part 3

Photo by Gabriel Gurrola on Unsplash

• Piano lessons Basic Rhythm Part 1
• Piano lessons Basic Rhythm Part 2
• Piano lessons Basic Rhythm Part 3

Now we'll do some more basic clapping and counting. We'll do whole notes, half notes and eighth notes. Don't worry. Go ahead and do whole notes. Whole notes are really easy, just clap when you count "1".

Now, lets clap and count the half notes. Half notes are easy too. Just clap on "1" and "3". Here are the half notes.

Wow, you're doing great! You've accomplished quarter notes, half notes and whole notes. But we're not through yet. We have to do eighth notes. eighth notes may be a bit harder to do since there are two of them for each beat. That's why we should subdivide. That is, add something in between the beats. We'll say "and" in between the beats. So you'll say 1, and, 2, and, 3, and, 4, and. But don't slow down! Remember to say "1, 2, 3, 4" right when the beat start! Remember to clap too!

Until now, all you've done is clapping the same length of notes. For example, you did all quarter notes, or all whole notes. Now is the fun part! You'll do combinations of notes of different lengths. This may be a little overwhelming at first, especially if you're new at all of this. That's why I suggest that you first try the rhythm. If you just can't get it, go ahead and listen to the solution MIDI right under the notes. Then, go ahead and try it again. If you still can't get it, slow down the tempo. That is, pause a little more between each beat.

Haha, tricked you didn't I? Don't worry about that second-to-last note. Treat it as a regular eighth note. The only difference is the pitch, which we are not concerned with right now. Go ahead and do the next one if you're comfortable with the previous one.

Hooray! You're done with Lesson #2! Pat yourself on the back, you passed basic rhythm with flying colors!

Index                                                 Next>>