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Music Theory

Starts on the Downbeat, on a Pickup or After a Rest

In this exercise you see the beginning of a melody (two measures, with their key signature and time signature) and you have to identify how it starts. In Spanish-language teaching there are three names: tético (the melody starts on the downbeat), anacrúsico (it starts on a pickup, or anacrusis, a short note or notes before the first strong beat) and acéfalo (it starts after the downbeat, with the "head" of the measure missing). Three levels, instant answers and printable worksheets with answers.

Pay attention to when the music enters inside the first measure: on the strong beat, shortly after it, or already in the second half? Choose the type of beginning that matches.

How to tell each beginning

  1. Look at where the first note enters. If it falls on beat 1, the melody starts on the downbeat (tético).
  2. If it enters after the strong beat but before the middle of the measure, it is acéfalo: the "head" is missing. It makes no difference whether the initial rest is written (the measure looks complete, starting with a rest) or not (the measure looks incomplete).
  3. If it enters at the middle of the measure or later, it is anacrúsico (a pickup): the first measure is left incomplete, and those notes, the pickup (UK: upbeat), lead to the strong beat.

For example, in 4/4: a quarter note on beat 4, or two quarter notes on beats 3 and 4 (exactly half of the measure), are a pickup. Three quarter notes on beats 2, 3 and 4 are an acéfalo beginning, even if the rest on beat 1 is not written.

At the hard level there are rests inside the measure, once the melody has started. Do not confuse them with the initial rest of the acéfalo beginning: all that counts is when the music enters in the first measure. The full explanation, with well-known examples, is on beginnings: downbeat, pickup and off-beat start.

Printable worksheet (PDF)

The same exercise on paper, for class: eighteen melodies, six from each level, on one A4 sheet, with two of each type of beginning at each level. The student ticks the matching box. With a separate answer sheet.

Printable PDF worksheet to tell thetic, anacrusic and acephalous beginnings apart
A4 sheet with eighteen melody beginnings.

Download the worksheet (A4 PDF) Answers

It is designed for working without a computer, as classwork, homework or review. You can print and photocopy it freely for class.

More worksheets

The same exercise on paper, for class: you can generate worksheets of eighteen melodies, six from each level, with two of each type of beginning at each level. The student ticks the matching box. Each sheet comes with its own answer sheet. Generate as many sheets as you need, each with different melodies, and print them straight from your browser.

Before this exercise

To know which beat is the strong one in each measure, it helps to go through analyze time signatures first, and to handle the length of each measure well, through complete the measure. The other half of the phrase, its ending, is practiced in phrase endings on a strong or weak beat.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell whether a melody starts on the downbeat, on a pickup or after a rest?
Look at when the music enters inside the first measure. If it enters on beat 1, it starts on the downbeat (tético). If it enters after the strong beat but before the middle of the measure, it is acéfalo, whether the initial rest is written or the measure looks incomplete. If it enters at the middle of the measure or later, it is a pickup (anacrúsico).
How do I tell a pickup from an acéfalo beginning?
By the moment the music enters, not by whether the measure is complete. In a pickup the music enters at the middle of the measure or later: what is written before the bar line lasts half the measure or less. In an acéfalo beginning it enters after the strong beat but before the middle, and the initial rest may or may not be written. In 4/4, three quarter notes before the bar line are an acéfalo beginning; two or fewer are a pickup.
How long can a pickup be?
It depends on the melody and the time signature. What matters is that it comes before the first strong beat and leaves the first measure incomplete. With the criterion of this exercise, a pickup lasts at most half the measure (exactly half counts as a pickup); if what is written lasts longer, the music enters before the middle and the beginning is acéfalo.
Where is the measure of the pickup completed?
In the last measure of the phrase: the beats of the pickup and those of the final measure add up to one whole measure. Since the exercise only shows the beginning of the melody, you only see the incomplete measure at the start.
Does a rest inside the measure change the type of beginning?
No. All that counts is when the music enters in the first measure. At the hard level there are rests in the middle of the melody to throw you off, but they do not change the type of beginning.
Which time signatures and keys are in the exercise?
The simple meters 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 at the easy level, and the compound meters 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 as well from the medium level. The melodies are in major keys, with their key signature.