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Music Theory

Phrase Endings on a Strong or Weak Beat

In this exercise you see the end of a melody (the last two measures, with their key signature and time signature) and you have to say whether it ends on a strong beat or on a weak beat. In Spanish-language teaching these are called íctico and posíctico; in English they are often called a masculine ending and a feminine ending. Three levels, instant answers and printable worksheets with answers.

Look at the last measure, the one that ends at the double bar line: on which beat does the last note start? How long it lasts does not matter.

How to tell the ending

  1. Find the last note that sounds in the last measure. Any rests after it do not count.
  2. Look at which beat it starts on, not how long it lasts. If it starts on beat 1, the phrase ends on a strong beat (íctico).
  3. If it starts anywhere else in the measure (beat 2, beat 3 or an off-beat), the phrase ends on a weak beat (posíctico).

For example, in 4/4 a half note that starts on beat 3 is an ending on a weak beat even though it lasts two beats, and an eighth note on beat 1 followed by rests is an ending on a strong beat. From the medium level on, the last measure can be incomplete (it makes up for a pickup at the beginning): its strong beat is still the first one, at the start of that measure. The full explanation is on phrase endings on a strong or weak beat.

Printable worksheet (PDF)

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

Printable PDF worksheet to tell phrase endings on a strong beat and on a weak beat apart
A4 sheet with eighteen melody endings.

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 melody endings, six from each level, with three of each type 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 and after this exercise

To know which beat is the strong one in each measure, it helps to go through analyze time signatures first. The other half of the phrase, its beginning, is practiced in starts on the downbeat, on a pickup or after a rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell whether a phrase ends on a strong or a weak beat?
Look at which beat the last note of the last measure starts on, not how long it lasts. If it starts on beat 1, the ending is on a strong beat (íctico). If it starts anywhere else in the measure, the ending is on a weak beat (posíctico).
Does the length of the last note matter?
No. A long or a short note can give a strong or a weak ending: what decides is whether it is attacked on the accent or after it. Rests after the last note do not count either.
Is beat 3 in 4/4 a strong beat?
In this exercise, the only strong beat of the measure is beat 1. A last note that starts on beat 3 (or on beat 3 of a 12/8 measure) counts as an ending on a weak beat, just like one that starts off the beat inside beat 1.
What if the last measure is incomplete?
When a melody starts with a pickup, the last measure is usually left incomplete to make up for it. Its strong beat is still the first one, at the start of that measure, and the last note is counted from there.
Is the end of the phrase the same as the cadence?
No. The ending practiced here is rhythmic: on which beat the last note falls. The cadence is the harmonic ending, the sequence of chords that closes the phrase. A phrase has both at the same time.
Which time signatures 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 always end on the tonic of a major key, with its key signature.