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How do you determine rhythm?

Michael Noble, PhD
Professional Pianist
Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Piano Performance from the Yale School of Music. He is a previous contemporary music fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Michael Noble, PhD

Professional Pianist

Expert Answer

The rhythm of a song or piece is signified by the types of notes that are used.

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Question

What is rhythmic counting?

Michael Noble, PhD
Professional Pianist
Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Piano Performance from the Yale School of Music. He is a previous contemporary music fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Michael Noble, PhD

Professional Pianist

Expert Answer

Counting is in itself rhythmic. If you are counting, you are counting the beats (the top number of time signature) in any given measure.

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Question

How do you count 16th notes?

Michael Noble, PhD
Professional Pianist
Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Piano Performance from the Yale School of Music. He is a previous contemporary music fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Michael Noble, PhD

Professional Pianist

Expert Answer

A sixteenth note is a quarter of a quarter note value. If counting sixteenth notes in 4/4 time, each sixteenth would be counted as “1 e and a two e and a three e, etc.” At maximum, you could have 16 sixteenth notes in a measure in 4/4 time.

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Question

How do you count eighth notes?

Michael Noble, PhD
Professional Pianist
Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Piano Performance from the Yale School of Music. He is a previous contemporary music fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Michael Noble, PhD

Professional Pianist

Expert Answer

Eighth notes in 4/4 time are half of a quarter note. There would be 8 eighth notes in 1 whole note.

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Question

How would you count the rhythm when the first not in the measure is a sixteen note connected to a dotted eight note? Do you begin with "1" or do you begin with "a1"?

Tutti Flutey

Community Answer

Start with 1. Subdivide the sixteenth note into 1 E and A. The dotted eighth note with take the 1 e and the sixteenth note with take the A.

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