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Music Theory

Rhythm Dictation: Half Notes and Eighths, Which Rhythm?

Listen to a two-measure (UK: bar) rhythm played on G4 and choose which of the four written rhythms it is. Now the beat divides: pairs of eighth notes (UK: quavers) split one beat in half, and they mix with half notes (UK: minims), quarter notes (UK: crotchets) and their rests, in 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4.

How to use the exercise: press Start and then Listen. While it plays you can already choose the rhythm (A, B, C or D). After you answer, the right one turns green and, if you missed, you see on which beats your choice differs. The four rhythms look very much alike: the wrong ones change one or two beats. You can listen to the dictation up to three times. Often a quarter note is swapped for two eighth notes, or the reverse.

How to take a rhythm dictation with half notes and eighth notes

  1. Lock in the pulse first. The metronome measure before the audio gives you the speed and the downbeat. Count with it, then keep counting in your head while the rhythm plays, rests included.
  2. Find the time signature and count its beats. Count them from the metronome measure. Begin again at 1 in each measure, even when the first beat is silent.
  3. Listen to what happens inside each beat. One note that lasts the whole beat is a quarter note. Two notes that share it in halves are two eighth notes. If the note is still sounding on the following beats, it is a longer value (a half note), and if nothing sounds, it is a rest.
  4. Split your listenings. Both measures play each time, but you can focus on one thing per listen: the pulse and the first measure first, then the second measure, and finally the whole dictation as a check. You may answer while it is still playing.

Eighth notes tempt you to speed up the pulse: a pair of eighth notes followed by a quarter note can make the quarter seem shorter. Two eighth notes last exactly as long as one quarter note. Say "ti-ti" for the eighths and "ta" for the quarter while your foot keeps the beat, and the difference shows right away.

What the dictations are like

Every dictation is generated on the spot: two measures of 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4 using half notes, quarter notes, pairs of eighth notes and their rests, all on G4 played by a piano at 72 to 90 quarter notes per minute. Eighth notes always come in pairs, joined by a beam and filling one beat: in this group there is never a single eighth note or three (a lone eighth note appears only in the groups with an eighth rest). There is always at least one pair of eighth notes plus a half note or a half rest. A measure of metronome clicks plays first, at the same tempo, with a stronger first beat. A dictation can start with a rest, but never has more than two beats of rest in a row or a silent measure. Half notes and half rests sit where they are normally written: in 4/4 they start on beat 1 or 3; in 3/4 a half note starts on beat 1 or 2 and a half rest on beat 1; in 2/4 a half note fills the measure (and a half rest never appears, since it would leave the measure completely silent).

Each note sounds for nearly its whole value, so two eighth notes are heard as two short notes dividing the beat into equal halves. Each test has 10 dictations: 3 in 2/4, 4 in 3/4 and 3 in 4/4, none repeated.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell two eighth notes from a quarter note?
Count the notes in the beat. A quarter note is one note that lasts the full beat; two eighth notes are two notes sharing it in equal halves. Both take exactly one beat.
Can there be a lone eighth note?
No, not in these dictations: eighth notes are always paired, beamed together, and fill one beat. There is never one on its own or three.
Why does a metronome measure play first?
So you know how fast the dictation is and where the measure starts: one click per beat, stronger on beat 1, at the tempo of the rhythm. Count with the clicks and go on counting silently while the rhythm plays, rests included.
How many times can I listen to the dictation?
Up to three times, and you may answer while it plays. After answering you can listen again as often as you want to compare it with the written rhythm.

Once you answer correctly almost every time, write the dictation with cards. If it is still difficult, return to the group without eighth notes: half notes, quarter notes and their rests.