Section 6: Duration Con't.

The combination of different notes and rest durations create rhythm. Let us break down a simple rhythm and examine it even closer. Take a look at Figure H.

(Figure H)

There are two new elements that you are yet unfamiliar with. If you look closely at the last note and the last rest you will notice that they have a small dot after them. A dot after a note or rest adds half the value of the note.

A quarter-note carries one beat, so a dotted quarter note will carry one and a half, (11/2), beats. Similarly, a quarter-rest carries one beat, and a dotted quarter rest will carry 11/2 beats. The only difference is that you play on the note and "rest" on the rest. Take a look at Figure I.

(Figure I)

The combination of a quarter note and an eighth note is equal to a dotted quarter note. The combination of a quarter-rest and an eighth-rest is equal to a dotted quarter-rest. The values of dotted notes and rests make music composition much easier.

Exercise 2 continued:

Here is a fun exercise to further elaborate on exercise 2.

1. Remember the four-count clapping exercise? Clap it out again. (1 - 2 - 3 - 4).
2. This time, we are going to change your verbal count. Instead of counting aloud 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, we are going to add another verbal element to it. Notice that as you clap, the number count, (the down beat), is when your hands are closed. When your hands are all the way open, say "and" to represent the up beat.
3. You keep clapping 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, but you're saying, "1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4-and." - repeat it a few times to yourself to become familiar with it.
4. Your hands are clapping quarter notes, but your mouth is counting eighth notes.

Now that you are more acquainted with how eighth notes work, let us introduce sixteenth notes. Using the same clapping four-count, we will add another verbal element to your count. This time we are adding 'e' just before the 'and' with an 'ah' just after it.

Your verbal count now becomes, "1-e-and-ah - 2-e-and-ah - 3-e-and-ah - 4-e-and-ah". You are now counting the equivalent of sixteenth notes.

If you look closely you will notice that the 'e' and the 'ah' falls half way between the moment your hands are fully closed and fully open. Moreover, the syllables create specific counts that separate the quarter notes into sections. With the eighth notes, the quarter notes are cut in half, creating two syllables per beat or eight syllables, (hence the name, eighth).

The sixteenth-count, separates the quarter note into four, creating four syllables per beat, or sixteen syllables, (also named a sixteenth note).