Learn about Rhythm

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Learn About Rhythm and Develop Your Skills

The table of contents below shows the topics related to the fundamental aspects of rhythm. If you are looking for a specific answer, jump to the appropriate link. If you don’t know where to begin, start with the first section and avoid skipping steps. Each lesson page includes an introduction to the topic and links to practice suggestions and the practice patterns in Kyle Coughlin’s book, The Fundamentals of Rhythm.

An Introduction to Rhythm

What is Rhythm?What is Rhythm?

Beat and TempoBeat and Tempo

Meter and durationsMeter and Durations

Rhythmic Notation: Note ValuesRhythmic Notation: Note Values

Rhythmic Notation: Measures and Time SignaturesRhythmic Notation: Measures, and Time Signatures

How to count rhythmsHow to Count Rhythms

How to practice rhythmsHow to Practice Rhythms

 

 

Rhythm Lessons, Practice Suggestions, and Practice Patterns

Quarter notes and quarter restsLesson 1 - Quarter Notes and Quarter Rests

Ties, half notes, dotted half notes, whole notes, and restsLesson 2 - Ties, Half Notes, Dotted Half Notes, Whole Notes, and Rests

Ties over measure lines and syncopationLesson 3 - Ties Over Measure Lines and Syncopation

Eighth notes and eighth restsLesson 4 - Eighth Notes and Eighth Rests

Dotted quarter notesLesson 5 - Dotted Quarter Notes

Pickup notesLesson 6 - Pickup Notes

Syncopated subdivisionsLesson 7 - Syncopated Subdivisions

Sixteenth NotesLesson 8 - Sixteenth Notes

Dotted eighth notes and sixteenth note groupingsLesson 9 - Sixteenth Note Groupings and Dotted Eighth Notes

Sixteenth restsLesson 10 - Sixteenth Rests

Cut timeLesson 11 - Cut Time

Time signatures with the eighth note equal to one beatLesson 12 - Time Signatures with the Eighth Note Equal to One Beat

Subdividing the eighth note beatLesson 13 - Subdivided Eighth Note Beats

Compound meterLesson 14 - Compound Meter

Sixteenth notes in compound meterLesson 15 - Compound Meter with Sixteenth Notes and Rests

TripletsLesson 16 - Triplets

Double dotted notesLesson 17 - Double Dotted Notes

Other time signatures: 3/2 and 6/4Lesson 18 - Other Time Signatures: 3/2 and 6/4

Odd meters: 5/4 and 7/4 time signaturesLesson 19 - Odd Meters with a Quarter Note Equal to One Beat

Odd meters with the eight note equal to the beat: 5/8 and 7/8Lesson 20 - Odd Meters with the Eighth Note Equal to One Beat

Shorter note values: thirty second notes and sixty fourth notesLesson 21 - Shorter Note Values

TupletsLesson 22 - Tuplets

Get the Book

The Fundamentals of Rhythm, book by Kyle Coughlin

Fundamentals of Rhythm book

If you would like all of this information in book format so that you can put it on your music stand and practice it wherever you go, get The Fundamentals of Rhythm, by Kyle Coughlin. The book includes all of the lesson information and practice exercises found on the website.

 

Use MetronomeBot for a fun online metronome!

MetronomeBot, the talking online metronome

The online metronome that counts the beat, subdivides, and offers encouraging practice tips.

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