There are two main ideas when it comes to learning rhythm. They are true no matter if you are making hip hop rap beats or learning to read music for the guitar or saxophone.
The first is that you need to feel the pulse of the music. The second is that you need to be able to count the beats. Learning note values, time signatures and other basic music theory ideas will help both sides to rhythm.
Some of us have a natural “feel” for music and some of us… Well, not so much.
Some of us have a natural “feel” for music and some of us… Well, not so much.
No matter what category you fit into you need to learn how to count beats in order to develop your level of musicianship. To start you off we are going to talk about note values first.
Bars and Measures
A bar or measure of music is a way to divide up your music into smaller chunks that are easier to count and remember. Each measure has a number of beats that it is divided into. The number of notes is determined by the key signature.
Each measure is divided up into the following units of time. You can see them in the image below.
Whole Note
The whole note lasts for the duration of the measure. That means that there can be only one whole note per measure.
Half Note
The half note is the length of half of the measure and there can be no more than two half notes per measure.
Quarter Note
A quarter note is 1/4th of a measure and there can be no more than four “quarter” notes per measure.
Eighth Note
An eighth note is 1/8th of a measure and there can be no more than eight “eighth” notes per measure.
Straight forward so far right!
Don’t forget to sign up for our Tip’s and musicians quote of the day e-mail service at the top left corner of the page.
For more music theory information, how to build your confidence, improve your creativity and make better music visit my website and get your copy of 9 secrets to better music.
Posts
