Rhythm Training

by Stefan Hugi

Until now 78 rhythm- exercises in all grades. Each exercise with an audio file to
listen to.

Don't hurry, because there is nothing more important than a good rhythm feeling.
Always clap your hands to the beat and speak the rhythm loudly. Listen to the real
audio file over and over. Repeat the exercises until you feel real good.

You need a musical language to speak the rhythms. Fortunately this language is not
so hard to learn as English, it only needs two syllables. You can work out your own
singing, or you try to do it the same way as you hear it.

Notes on the beat have to sound different than off beat notes. Try it out for a while.

Level 1
Quarter notes or crotchets in common time

1.

2.

3.

4.

Quarter notes or crotchets in three- four time

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(Crotchets and quavers or quarter notes and eighth notes)

1.

2. Zhlen
Sie die Pausen laut.

Attacks and accents

3.

Note the little dots under the notes (staccato).

4.

Beachten Sie, dass die kleinen unscheinbaren Punkte unter den Noten (Staccato)
auch eine schwierige Phrase geben. berall, wo in den Noten Staccati auftauchen,
muss man sich alle Noten drum herum mit attacks und accents vorstellen, auch
wenn gar keine notiert wurden. Bedenken Sie, Musiker sind faul und ihre Noten
enthalten nur das Ntigste. Alles weitere mssen Sie sich hinzudenken.
5.

6.

Syncopes

There are two different ways of notation. Both sound the same, more or less.

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8.

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Syncope on 1

1.

2.

3.

4.
5.
There is a mistake in #5. What is wrong?

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7.

8.

Syncope on 2.

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10.

11.

12.

Syncope in three- four time

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Auftakte. Upbaets

Upbeat at 4and.

Die hellgrauen Pausen im Auftakt werden bei einer Notation nicht geschrieben. Sie
mssen aber whrend des Einzhlens diese Pausenwerte mitdenken.
The grey rests in the lead- in are not written in a notation. During the count in, you
must be aware of these rests.

1.

2.

3.

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7.

Upbeat at 4

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10.

11.

Upbeat at 3 and

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Test your rhythm feeling

1.

2.

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4.
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Swing Achtel. Swing eights

Alles was swingt, sei es Jazz, Blues, Shuffle oder Hip Hop basiert auf Triolen oder
einem 12/8 Takt. Everything that swings is based on triplets or a 12/8 measure.

1.

2.

Swing eights

3.
This spelling is not used
4. So ist es richtig. That`s
correct.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Upbeats have to be played when you repeat the part, even when it isn't notated in the
last bar, like in the next exercise.

10.
Bei der Wiederholung muss der Auftakt immer gespielt werden, auch wenn es im
letzten Takt nicht notiert wird

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12.
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Sechzehntel Sixteenth note or semiquaver

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Drum specific

1.

2. Sing
the Hi Hat

3. Don't
sing the Hi Hat

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5.

6.

7.
Shuffle = Swing

8.
Shuffle
9.
Shuffle

Drum Machine
Also your computer can be a Drum machine, all you need is a keyboard, a sequenzer
program and a MIDI input.

Now you prepare your sequenzer program, that you have five tracks with the same
instrument (drum) and the same MIDI channel (10).

Search for the drum sounds at your keyboard

We create a pattern of four bars. You can loop it or you alternate the pattern with
variations.

Tempo = 75

1. play exactly four bars, only the Hi Hat. Click on the notation to hear how it
should sound.

Track 1

Quantize 1/16. On a new track we play Bass Drum and Snare.

Track
2

Quantize 1/16. On a new track we record Crash Cymbal and Toms.

 Track
4

Congas are notated like this:

Track
5

Easy Latin groove

Tempo = 105

1. Hi Hat and Crash. Click on the notation to hear how it should sound.

2. Rim Shot

3. Bass Drum and Conga

4. What is still missing??? Listen exactly. Click on the notation to hear how it
should sound.

Afro Latin
Simple Groove, good for different styles

1. Hi Hat

Track 1

2. Bass Drum and Snare

Track 2

3. Rim Shot

Track 3

4. Percussion

Track 4
All together

Track 1
to 4

Make up your own similar patterns. Create at least three different songs with these
variations.

Classic Latin
This time, we create two different patterns.

1. Bass Drum

Track 1,
Pattern1

2. Hi Hat

Track 2,
Pattern 1

3. Rim Shot

Track 3,
Pattern 1

4. Toms

Track 4,
Pattern 1

All together
 Track 1
to 4

On the same tracks, we create the second pattern

1. Bass Drum

Track 1,
Pattern 2

2. Hi Hat

Track 2,
Pattern 2

3. Rim Shot

Track 3,
Pattern 2

4. Toms und Percussion

 Track 4,
Pattern 2

All together

Track 1
to 4

You can either mark all tracks to copy them, or you mark single tracks to copy. So you
get more variations.

Balinese Kotkan Types

The interlocking kotkan rhythms of Bali are divided into two parts known
as nyangsih (male) and polos (female). In all of the examples below (from Ancient
Traditions--Future Possibilities, Chapter 2, Exercise II, page 49), the polos part is on
the bottom staff while the nyangsih part is on the top.

There are four types of melodic kotkans recognized in North Bali: chandetan,
tutugan, ochtan, and semi- ochtan.

Chandetan

The chandetan is an alternating rhythm in which the nyangsih melody differs from
the polos:
 Chandetan MIDI File.

Tutugan

The tutugan is an alternating rhythm in which the nyangsih melody follows the polos:

Tutugan MIDI File.

Ochtan

The ochtan is an interlocking rhythm in which two separate voices are created where
the parts meet:

Ochtan MIDI File.

Semi-Ochtan

The semi-ochtan is an interlocking rhythm in which the parts meet on a unison:

Semi-Ochtan MIDI File.