Main navigation - English ≡ Sign in Sign up

To use Theta Music Trainer on a mobile device, you will need to download the free app:

Get Theta Music Trainer for iOS.

Rhythm Patterns
(Note: This page uses American music terms. You may also view the page with European
terms.) In order to read, identify and transcribe rhythms, you need to become familiar with
rhythm notation and rhythm patterns. This mainly involves indicating when a note happens
and how long it lasts, and recognizing when you hear a common rhythm. Rhythm occurs
within the framework of meter, which is simply a repetitive pattern of strong and weak
beats. Here are some common examples of meter:

Two-beat meter: STRONG - weak

Three-beat meter: STRONG - weak - weak
Four-beat meter: STRONG - weak - weak - weak

The meter of a song is indicated by its time signature. The time signature consists of two
numbers, stacked one on top of the other. The top number represents the number of beats
per measure, while the bottom number represents the note value for each beat. Rhythms
are notated using notes and rests. Here are the basic notations for each note, along with its
equivalent rest (a rest is silence, when no sound is played):

Notes can also be joined together with a tie to create a longer value:

A dot beside a note extends its duration by 1/2. For example, the length of a dotted quarter
note is equivalent to three eighth notes.

Rhythms in music are made up of short phrases that combine to make longer phrases, much
like a spoken language. Many of these phrases are made up of common two-beat patterns.
Once you become familiar with these short patterns, it will be much easier to identify and
follow the rhythms of longer phrases. Here is an application that will play short two-beat
rhythm patterns for you:

Rhythm Puzzles will strengthen your recognition of rhythm notation, and will train your ear
to match the rhythms you hear with their associated notation. It will also help you to
become familiar with the common rhythm patterns that combine to make longer rhythms.

Rhythm Puzzles
Match the rhythm you hear to its notation and solve the puzzle!
Even if you don't read music, all musicians benefit greatly from
a basic understanding of rhythm notation. Rhythms are made
up of short phrases that combine to make longer ones. No
matter what your level, Rhythm Puzzles will help you quickly
recognize short rhythm patterns by ear.

Play

‹ Rhythm Patterns (European) Up Sound ›

Teachers | Service Information | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | FAQ | Resources | Contact Us
High Scores for Games | Customer Kudos | Media Reviews |
Facebook | Twitter

Copyright (C) 2021 Theta Music Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.