1. Three techniques for rhythmic reading

2. What you need to know Steady beat Tempo Rhythm (notes and rests)
Time signature
Subdivision

3. Steady Beat and Tempo
The steady beat is the pulse that is heard or felt when listening or performing music. It can be compared to tapping one’s foot or clapping with “the beat.”
The steady beat determines duration of rhythms as it relates to tempo, time signatures and rhythmic notation.
Tempo determines the speed of the steady beat. This is measured in beats per minute.

4. Rhythm Tree Duple
This is true for all tempos and time signatures. Knowing what the breakdown is for all rhythms will help with the more difficult passages. Rhythm breakdown will also help with subdividing less common time signatures and rhythms.

5. Rhythm Tree Triple

6. Rhythm Rests Tree
The same is true for rests. They are the silent equivalent to notes.

7. Simple Time Signatures
Common beat
Duple
Triple
Quadruple
Quarter note 2 4 3
Half note
(alle breve, cut time)
Eighth note
(slow tempos) 8

8. Complex Time Signatures
Compound Time Signatures
Common beat
single
Duple
Triple
Quadruple
Dotted quarter note 3 8 6 9 12
Complex Time Signatures
Common beat
Changes within measure 5 8 7 9 11
Quarter note 4

9. Subdivision
Subdivision is the breaking down of the notes or beats into smaller units. This aids in the breakdown of more difficult rhythms. The subdivision of a measure should be broken down into the smallest unit present in the measure. If the smallest unit is eighth notes the measure should be subdivided using eighth notes. If the smallest unit is sixteenth notes the measure should be subdivided using sixteenth notes.