READING MUSIC WITH WEBRHYTHMS:
LESSON THREE, PART C
Welcome to WebRhythms – an easy step-by-step method for learning to read rhythm, created by Vic Firth artist and educator Norm Weinberg. Starting at the very beginning, you’ll progress through 20 lessons, where each introduces a new topic. By the end of the series, you’ll be a master at reading rhythm!
In this WebRhythms lesson, you’ll learn to play 16th and 8th note combinations. The exercise you’ll be working on in this lesson will include audio play-along tracks in five different levels that you can use to track your progress!
16th / 8th NOTE COMBINATIONS
Now the fun starts! Example A is a figure that doesn’t actually have a specific name, it’s just called two sixteenths and an eighth. This figure results when only the first eighth in a count is broken into two sixteenths. When you play this figure, don’t count the “a”, but be sure that you are leaving a space for it. Examples B and C show this figure’s relationship to a group of two eighths and to a group of four sixteenth notes.
In order for you to get the feeling of this figure, I recommend that you begin by counting every single one of the sixteenth note syllables out loud. Remember not to play on the sixteenth’s syllable (“a”) if it follows an eighth note. Soon, as you feel more comfortable with the rhythms, begin leaving out the syllables that aren’t played. This way, you won’t have to say so many syllables when you are playing.
Listen to the “bronze level” audio file and try to count the rhythms out loud before attempting to perform this exercise.
PRACTICE THIS EXERCISE WITH THE PLAY-ALONG TRACKS!
