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Music Theory

Rhythm Dictation With Eighth Notes: Which Rhythm Plays?

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: there are pairs of eighth notes (UK: quavers), which split one beat into two halves, along with quarter notes (UK: crotchets) and quarter 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 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. Start again at 1 in every measure, even if 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 split it into halves are two eighth notes. 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.

The most frequent mistake with eighth notes is rushing the pulse: a pair of eighth notes followed by a quarter note can make the quarter sound shorter than it is. A pair of eighth notes lasts exactly as long as one quarter note. Tap your foot on the beat and say "ti-ti" on the eighth notes and "ta" on the quarter note, and the difference becomes clear.

What the dictations are like

Every dictation is generated on the spot: two measures of 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4 using quarter notes, pairs of eighth notes and quarter rests, all on the note G4 at a piano tempo between 72 and 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 one and never three (a lone eighth note appears only in the groups with an eighth rest). Every dictation has at least one pair of eighth notes and some quarter rest. One measure of metronome clicks plays first, at the same tempo and with a stronger first beat. A dictation may begin with a rest, but never has more than two beats of rest in a row or a completely silent measure.

Every note sounds for almost its full length, so a pair of eighth notes is heard as two short notes that divide the beat into two 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 do I tell two eighth notes from a quarter note?
By the number of notes in the beat. A quarter note is one note lasting the whole beat, while two eighth notes are two notes dividing it into equal halves. Both fill exactly one beat.
Can an eighth note appear alone?
Not in these dictations. Eighth notes always come in pairs, joined by a beam and filling one beat. You will never hear a single one 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.

When you get nearly all of them right, try writing the dictation yourself. If it is still hard, go back to the group without eighth notes: quarter notes and quarter rests.