Rhythm Reading Flashcards
What do you call a symbol that indicates to make sound, as opposed to a symbol that indicates to make silence?
Note
A note indicates to make sound, as opposed to a rest which indicates to make silence.
(Example: Quarter Note)
What do you call this rhythmic note value and how does it relate to the other rhythmic note values?
Half Note
½ the length of a whole note
2 quarter notes long
4 eighth notes long
8 sixteenth notes long
What do you call this symbol?
To which family of symbols does it belong?
What does it specifically indicate?
Cut Time
The cut time symbol is a time signature/meter symbol.
It indicates the same time signature/meter as 2/2 (→ 2 half note/rest beats per measure)
Describle the relationship of a sixteenth note rhythm to the other rhythmic note values.
Sixteenth Note
A sixteenth note is…
1/16 the length of a whole note
⅛ the length of a half note
¼ the length of a quarter note
½ the length of an eighth note
Describle the relationship of a quarter note rhythm to the other rhythmic note values.
Quarter Note
A quarter note is…
¼ the length of a whole note
½ the length of a half note
2 eighth notes long
4 sixteenth notes long
What do you call a curved line that connects a group of two or more of the same pitches?
What should you do when you see this marking?
Tie
A tie indicates to play the total value of the tied notes.
Example: two tied quarter notes = one half note
What do you call these numbers, and what is their function?
What do these particular numbers indicate?
Time Signature/Meter
The function of the time signature/meter is to indicate the duration of each measure.
This is how you read the numbers in this time signature/meter:
top 4 = 4 beats per measure
bottom 4 = each beat is 1 quarter note/rest long
→ 4 quarter note/rest beats per measure
What do you call the space between two bar lines?
Measure
The space between two bar lines is called a measure.
What do you call the line that designates the limit of each measure?
Bar Line
Describle the relationship of an eighth note rhythm to the other rhythmic note values.
Eighth Note
An eighth note is…
⅛ the length of a whole note
¼ the length of a half note
½ the length of a quarter note
2 sixteenth notes long
What do you call the speed of the beats in a piece?
Tempo
The tempo is the speed of the beat in a piece.
When a flag is added to a stem, does it indicate that the rhythm is faster or slower than a stem without a flag? How does the rhythm change if additional flags are added?
When a flag is added to a stem, it indicates a faster rhythm. If additional flags are added to a stem, it indicates even faster rhythms.
What is the progression of note/rest values from slowest to fastest?
The progression of note/rest values from slowest to fastest is…
whole - half - quarter - eighth - sixteenth
When a note head is filled-in, does it indicate a faster rhythm or a slower rhythm than when a note head is hollow?
Hollow note head = slower rhythm
Filled-in note head = faster rhythms
What does a tie look like?
What should you do when you see a tie?
Tie
A tie is a curved line that connects a group of two or more
of the same pitches.
→ Play the total value of the tied notes
Example: two tied quarter notes = one half note
What do you call this part of a note?
How can this part of the note change to indicate rhythm? Which way indicates a slower rhythm and which way indicates a faster rhythm?
Note Head
Note heads are small circles which indicate both pitch by their placement on the staff and duration depending on whether the note head is hollow or filled-in.
Hollow note head = slower rhythm
Filled-in note head = faster rhythms
What do you call this rhythmic note value and how does it relate to the other rhythmic note values?
Eighth Note
⅛ the length of a whole note
¼ the length of a half note
½ the length of a quarter note
2 sixteenth notes long
What do you call this rhythmic rest value and how does it relate to the other rhythmic rest values?
Half Rest
½ the length of a whole rest
2 quarter rests long
4 eighth rests long
8 sixteenth rests long
What do you call a vertical line that extend upward or downward from the side of a note head?
When this line is added to a note head, does the rhythm get faster or slower?
Stem
A stem is a vertical line that extends upward or downward from the side of a note head depending on the placement of the notehead on the staff.
When a stem is added to a note head, it indicates a faster rhythm.
What do you call this rhythmic rest value and how does it relate to the other rhythmic rest values?
Quarter Rest
¼ the length of a whole rest
½ the length of a half rest
2 eighth rests long
4 sixteenth rests long
What do you call the numbers located next to the clef at the beginning of a piece?
What is its function?
How do you read it?
Time Signature/Meter
The function of the time signature/meter is to indicate the duration of each measure.
This is how you read the numbers in a time signature/meter:
The top number indicates the number of beats in each measure (3/4 Example: 3 = 3 beats per measure).
The bottom number indicates the rhythmic value of the beat in each measure (3/4 Example: 4 = each beat is 1 quarter note/rest long).
(3/4 Example → 3 quarter note/rest beats per measure)
Describle the relationship of a half rest rhythm to the other rhythmic rest values.
Half Rest
A half rest is…
½ the length of a whole rest
2 quarter rests long
4 eighth rests long
8 sixteenth rests long
Describle the relationship of an eighth rest rhythm to the other rhythmic rest values.
Eighth Rest
An eighth rest is…
⅛ the length of a whole rest
¼ the length of a half rest
½ the length of a quarter rest
2 sixteenth rests long
Which rest values share characterists with other rest values in the way that they are written? Do these characteristics relate to the way note values relate to one another?
There is a shared characteristic between the symbol of the whole rest (a rectangle hanging from the bottom of a line) and a half rest (a rectangle on top of a line), however the closest shared characteristic to the way notes are written is the relationship between the eighth rest and the sixteenth rest. The same way an eighth note adds a second flag to its stem to become a sixteenth note, the eighth rest adds a second knob to its line to become a sixteenth rest.
What do you call this rhythmic note value and how does it relate to the other rhythmic note values?
Sixteenth Note
1/16 the length of a whole note
⅛ the length of a half note
¼ the length of a quarter note
½ the length of an eighth note
What do you call these numbers, and what is their function?
What do these particular numbers indicate?
Time Signature/Meter
The function of the time signature/meter is to indicate the duration of each measure.
This is how you read the numbers in this time signature/meter:
6 = 6 beats per measure
8 = each beat is 1 eighth note/rest long
→ 6 eighth note/rest beats per measure
Describle the relationship of a half note rhythm to the other rhythmic note values.
Half Note
A half note is…
½ the length of a whole note
2 quarter notes long
4 eighth notes long
8 sixteenth notes long
Where can you find the time signature/meter in your music?
What is its function?
How do you read the time signature/meter?
Time Signature/Meter
The time signature/meter is the numbers located next to the clef at the beginning of a piece.
The function of the time signature/meter is to indicate the duration of each measure.
This is how you read the numbers in a time signature/meter:
The top number indicates the number of beats in each measure (3/4 Example: 3 = 3 beats per measure).
The bottom number indicates the rhythmic value of the beat in each measure (3/4 Example: 4 = each beat is 1 quarter note/rest long).
(3/4 Example → 3 quarter note/rest beats per measure)
What happens to the rhythmic value of a note/rest when it has a dot next to it?
Dotted Notes/Rests
A dot next to a note/rest adds ½ the value of the note written.
Example: A dotted quarter note is…
1½ quarter notes long
3 eighth notes long
6 sixteenth notes long
What do you call this rhythmic rest value and how does it relate to the other rhythmic rest values?
Whole Rest
2 half rests long
4 quarter rests long
8 eighth rests long
16 sixteenth rests long
Describle the relationship of a sixteenth rest rhythm to the other rhythmic rest values.
Sixteenth Rest
A sixteenth rest is…
1/16 the length of a whole rest
⅛ the length of a half rest
¼ the length of a quarter rest
½ the length of an eighth rest
What do you call this curvy line that extends from the right end of a stem?
When this curvy line is added to a stem, does it indicate that the rhythm gets faster or slower? How does the rhythm change if additional curvy lines are added?
Flag
A flag is the cury line that extends from the right end of a stem.
When a flag is added to a stem, it indicates a faster rhythm. If additional flags are added to a stem, it indicates even faster rhythms.
When a note head is hollow, does it indicate a faster rhythm or a slower rhythm than when a note head is filled-in?
Hollow note head = slower rhythm
Filled-in note head = faster rhythms
What does the common time symbol look like?
To which family of symbols does it belong?
What does it specifically indicate?
Common Time
The common time symbol is a lowercase “c”
The common time symbol is a time signature/meter symbol.
It indicates the same time signature/meter as 4/4 (→ 4 quarter note/rest beats per measure)
How does each level of note value relate to other note values, both in terms of duration and the way they are written?
Each level of note values as it gets faster is twice as fast as the slower value, therefore it takes two of the faster value to add up to one of the slower value.
The way this is written is that the half note adds a stem, the quarter note’s note head is filled in, the eighth note adds a flag to the stem, and the sixteenth note adds a second flag to the stem.
What does the cut time symbol look like?
To which family of symbols does it belong?
What does it specifically indicate?
Cut Time
The cut time symbol is a lowercase “c” with a vertical slash mark.
The cut time symbol is a time signature/meter symbol.
It indicates the same time signature/meter as 2/2 (→ 2 half note/rest beats per measure)
How are notes with flags written differently when are grouped together?
Beaming
When notes with flags are grouped together, the flags change into straight beams that connect the ends of the stems.
Example: eighth notes and sixteenth notes beamed together into quarter note groups
Describle the relationship of a quarter rest rhythm to the other rhythmic rest values.
Quarter Rest
A quarter rest is…
¼ the length of a whole rest
½ the length of a half rest
2 eighth rests long
4 sixteenth rests long
What do you call this rhythmic rest value and how does it relate to the other rhythmic rest values?
Eighth Rest
⅛ the length of a whole rest
¼ the length of a half rest
½ the length of a quarter rest
2 sixteenth rests long
When a note head does not have a stem, does it indicate that the rhythm is faster or slower than a note head with a stem?
When a note head does not have a stem, it indicates that the rhythm is slower than a note head with a stem.
What do you call a symbol that indicates to make silence, as opposed to a symbol that indicates to make sound?
Rest
A rest indicates to make silence, as opposed to a note which indicates to make sound.
(Example: Quarter Rest)
What do you call this rhythmic note value and how does it relate to the other rhythmic note values?
Quarter Note
¼ the length of a whole note
½ the length of a half note
2 eighth notes long
4 sixteenth notes long
When a note has a stem, does it indicate a faster or slower rhythm than when a note head does not have a stem?
When a note head has a stem, it indicates that the rhythm is faster than a note head without a stem.
What do you call this rhythmic note value and how does it relate to the other rhythmic note values?
Whole Note
2 half note beats long
4 quarter note beats long
8 eighth note beats long
16 sixteenth note beats long
What do you call this rhythmic rest value and how does it relate to the other rhythmic rest values?
Sixteenth Rest
1/16 the length of a whole rest
⅛ the length of a half rest
¼ the length of a quarter rest
½ the length of an eighth rest
What do you call this symbol?
To which family of symbols does it belong?
What does it specifically indicate?
Common Time
The common time symbol is a time signature/meter symbol.
It indicates the same time signature/meter as 4/4 (→ 4 quarter note/rest beats per measure)
What do you call these numbers, and what is their function?
What do these particular numbers indicate?
Time Signature/Meter
The function of the time signature/meter is to indicate the duration of each measure.
This is how you read the numbers in this time signature/meter:
3 = 3 beats per measure
4 = each beat is 1 quarter note/rest long
→ 3 quarter note/rest beats per measure
When a stem does not have a flag, does it indicate that the rhythm is faster or slower than a stem with a flag?
When a stem does not have a flag, it indicates a slower rhythm than when a stem has a flag.
Describle the relationship of a whole rest rhythm to the other rhythmic rest values.
Whole Rest
A whole rest is…
2 half rests long
4 quarter rests long
8 eighth rests long
16 sixteenth rests long
Describle the relationship of a whole note rhythm to the other rhythmic note values.
Whole Note
A whole note is…
2 half note beats long
4 quarter note beats long
8 eighth note beats long
16 sixteenth note beats long
What do you call these numbers, and what is their function?
What do these particular numbers indicate?
Time Signature/Meter
The function of the time signature/meter is to indicate the duration of each measure.
This is how you read the numbers in this time signature/meter:
top 2 = 2 beats per measure
bottom 2 = each beat is 1 half note/rest long
→ 2 half note/rest beats per measure
What is the function of bar lines?
Bar Lines
Bar lines designate the limits of each measure.
