1. I Got Rhythm
One of the most difficult tasks when creating your own composition is writing down rhythms. You may be able to put the correct pitches in order, but somehow it becomes almost impossible to decide where in the bar they should go. The following exercises should help you to break each bar down into manageable segments and construct even the most syncopated phrases.
In this example a 4/4 bar is divided into beats. These beats are also divided in half, giving 8 quavers. A good way to count this is: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
In standard Western notation, the above example looks like this:
Notice how the second note is placed on the 2nd half of beat 2 - or “2 &”
When more notes land on the off-beats (“&” beats), the notation looks more like this:
Try writing down rhythms in the blank boxes on the next page. Once you have mastered one-bar phrases, move on to longer examples.
© Matthew J Etherington 2002

2. Examples
© Matthew J Etherington 2002

3. Examples #2
Try writing out some of your examples as standard notation:
© Matthew J Etherington 2002

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TEACHERS’S COPY                                                                               
© Matthew J Etherington 2002