Music Theory Course

Rhythm: An Introduction

Rhythm is the placement of sound in time.

Put simply, rhythm tells you how long you need to hold the note.

Here are the most common types of rhythm:

Whole Note (Semibreve): count 4 beats

Half Note (Minim): count 2 beats

Quarter Note (Crotchet): count 1 beat

Musical Beat (or Pulse)

Music can have a regular beat, like a clock has a regular tick-tock sound.

When you practice, count each beat aloud.

This helps you structure the music and keep steady.

If you want to check you are keeping steady, use a metronome.

Can you clap the following rhythms counting aloud?

Whole Note (Semibreve)

Half Notes (Minims)

Quarter Notes (Crotchets)

Hierarchy of Rhythms

Each rhythm can be halved into two shorter rhythms.

For example, a whole note (semibreve) can be split into two half notes (minims).

A half note (minim) can be split into two quarter notes (crotchets).

There are four quarter notes (crotchets) in a whole note (semibreve).

Can you clap the following rhythms counting aloud and keeping a steady pulse?

Time Signatures: An Introduction

The time signature (or "meter") can be found at the start of a piece of music.

It shows the number of beats in a bar.

Music is divided into bars by bar lines.

Bar lines structure the music and make it easy to read.

The upper number of the time signature shows the number of beats in a bar.

The lower number shows the type of beat.

In the example below, there are two quarter notes (crotchets) in a bar. This means you will count "1 2 1 2" when you play this piece, keeping a steady pulse.

Time Signature

Bar Line

Number and Type of Beats

Time Signatures: 2/4 and 4/4

Let's look into two common time signatures: 2/4 and 4/4.

A time signature in 2/4 has two beats in a bar: so you count "1 2 1 2."

A time signature in 4/4 has four beats in a bar: so you count "1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4."

Can you clap the examples below counting aloud?

2/4

4/4

Rhythmic Emphasis

The first beat of the bar is the strongest — it has the most emphasis.

This natural emphasis gives the music structure since there is a regular pulse and sense of rhythm.

Can you clap the above exercises again, this time clapping loudly on the first beats and softly on the other beats?

The Stave

The stave is made up of lines and spaces.

Music notation can be written on the stave.

The higher the note appears on the stave, the higher the sound.

The lower the note appears, the lower the sound.

Lines and Spaces

The stave is made up of:

5 lines

and

4 spaces.