English	Italian
Broad	Largo
Slow	Adagio
Moderately Slow	Andante
Moderate	Moderato
Moderately Fast	Allegretto
Fast	Allegro
Lively	Vivace
Very Fast	Presto
Extremely Fast	Prestissimo

+ = "and"

From this pyramid you can see that any note value from the one above it is half the value. (There are two eight notes in the space of one quarter note, two sixteenth notes in the space of one eight note)

Beaming

Eighth notes by themselves are notated with one flag off of the stem like this:


When more than one eighth note is writen in succession, they can be beamed depending on the pulse of the groove like this:


Sixteenth notes standing alone have two flags off of the stem like this:


When more than one sixteenth note is written in succession, they are also beamed as such:


Sixteenth notes are read as 1 e + a, 2 e + a, etc…(four sixteenth notes per beat)

Let's start reading through some rhythms.

Rhythm Exercise 1 - Whole Notes, Half Notes, and Quarter Notes
Right off the bat, start using a metronome. Don't let yourself get into bad habits that will inhibit your growth in the future. In this first exercise, every note lands on a beat (a click of the metronome). So be sure that clap, hit, or strike of whatever instrument you're playing is exactly with the metronomes click. As you read this exercise, the counting is right underneath the music to help make sure you are doing it correctly. The counts in parenthesis are showing you that the notes still sound through those beats and are not attacked again. For example, half notes take up two beats - the attack is on the first beat and the note continues to sound through the second.

Rhythm Exercise 2 - Introduction of Eighth Notes
Similar to the first exercise except for the introduction of eighth notes in the second bar. Be sure that each downbeat is right with the metronome. The upbeat (the "and" count) is placed evenly between the downbeats. Some metronomes have the ability to click the eight-note pulse. It would be beneficial to purchase one of these metronomes.

Rhythm Exercise 3 - Quarter/Eighth Combinations
This exercise combines quarter notes and eighth notes in the same measure. Keep the tempo consistent between the quarters and eighths!

Rhythm Exercise 4 - More Quarter/Eighth Combos
If you need more reassurance on the counting, refer back to exercises one and two where the counting is underneath to help you out.

Rhythm Exercise 5 - Quarters/Eighths/Half Note Combo
Remember that the half notes get two full beats.

Rhythm Exercise 6 - Using Quarter Notes on the Upbeats
Ok, this can be a bit tricky, which is why I put the counts with the exercise. The most important thing to remember is that no matter where a quarter note starts, either an upbeat ("and" count) or a downbeat, it always takes up the space of two eight notes. Using the eight-note subdivision on your metronome would be helpful very on this exercise.

Rhythm Exercise 7 - More Quarter Note Upbeats
More of the same.

Rhythm Exercise 8 - Sixteenth Note Variations

Rests

Rests are rhythms of silence. They are just as important as any note you play. Just think of how you speak and how the space between words and sentences changes the way come across. The notation for rests reads just like the notes.

Rest Exercise 1 - Half and Quarter Note Rests
Remember to keep the sound held through each note value. The parentheses in this exercise indicate the counts of rest.

Rest Exercise 2 - Introducing Eighth Rests
In this exercise the eight note is the smallest note value, so make sure to count the eight notes throughout. Even through the quarter and half notes. Put your metronome on the eight note clicks and while your playing, think "1+ 2+ 3 + 4 +" throught the exercise.

Rest Exercise 3 - Half/Quarter/Eighth Rest Combo
Like the last exercise. Keep thinking the eight note pulse throught the larger half and whole note rests, so you can come back in on your next attack more evenly and solidly.

Rest Exercise 4 - Another Combo Exercise

Rest Exercise 5 - Introducing Sixteenth Rests
The syllables used to count sixteenth notes/rests is 1e+a 2e+a 3e+a 4e+a, etc, etc. Make sure you account for each syllable when counting this exercise out. Look at the note and rest pyramid if need be.

Rest Exercise 6 - A Complete Sixteenth Note/Rest Exercise
This is similar to Rhythm Ex. 8. The first few variations are the same but written differently to incorporate sixteenth note rest. Always play the check pattern before playing the rhythmic variation. This will help you to solidify the tempo and better understand the sixteenth note feel by subdividing the sixteenth notes before putting in the rests.

Ties

Ties connect one note to the next. The tie's function to add the value of the tied note to the first; to make the note sound for a longer rhythm. Like the dot, it lengthens a notes value. But, with a tie you can lengthen by any note value. You do not re-strike the tied note. The example above showing two quarter notes now sound for the same value as a half note.

The tie allows you to be a lot more flexible in making interesting rhythms. Where the dot lengths the note by a given amount, the tie adds any amount the composer wishes. It is also useful when lengthening a note out across the barline.

Tie Exercise 1
In this exercise, the first line shows a whole note and a tied rhythm which sound the same as one whole note. The second line is half notes and the tied quarter notes which sound identical to the half notes and so on. This exercise should give you the initial idea on how tied notes look and sound.

Tie Exercise 2
A small etude using quarters, eighths, and tied rhythms

Tie Exercise 3
A tied exercise using eighth and sixteenth notes. This is a more developed etude using ties in sixteenth notes.

Dotted Rhythms

One little dot changes everything! When you see a dot added next to a notehead it adds half the value of the note it is connected to. Another way to say this is, a dotted note is worth three of the notes next smaller value.

A dotted quarter note takes up the same space as three eighth notes. The quarter note itself is worth two eight notes plus the dot, which adds half the quarter note. Half of a quarter note is an eight note (remember the note value pyramid). So, the dot adds one eight note, which equals a total of three eight notes.

Now to you the second definition of the dot. Again you see a dotted quarter - what is one value smaller that a quarter note? An eighth note, right. So a dotted quarter takes up the same space as three eighth notes.

What is one value smaller than a half note? A quarter note (remember the pyramid). So, a dotted half note sounds for 3 quarter notes.

A dotted eighth note (e.) sound for how long? The eighth note sounds for two sixteenth notes, plus the dot which adds one more sixteenth note; that makes the dotted eighth notes the same space as 3 sixteenth notes.

Meter

Beats naturally fall in a repetitive pattern of weak and strong pulses that are usually grouped into two, three, or four beats. These patterns are called meters. Each grouping of beats are called measures. A two-beat meter, like a march, is called a duple meter. A three-beat meter, like a waltz, is called a triple meter. A four-beat meter, like 99% of what you hear on the radio, is called a quadruple meter. The strongest accent is going to be on the first beat. Also, understand that feeling meter is more on the basis of personal interpretation that just right or wrong.

Time Signatures

Time signatures indicates how many beats are in each measure, the type of note that gets the beat, and the division of each beat. The top number of a time signature represents how many beats are in the measure. This number can be 1 to whatever. The bottom number represents the type of note that gets each beat, I.E.- 1-whole, 2-halves, 4-quarters, 8-eighths, 16-sixteenths, 32-thirty-seconds. (They rarely go up to 32nd notes.) The bottom number can only be from the listed numbers above.

Examples:
2/4 means that there are two beats to the measure and the quarter note gets the beat.
4/4 means that there are four beats to the measure and the quarter note gets the beat.
6/8 means that there are six beats to the measure and the eighth note gets the beat.
3/2 means that there are three beats to the measure and the half note gets the beat.

Another preemptive correction - time signatures are read exactly how the numbers are spoken, NOT as fractions!!! 2/4 is pronounced "two four", not "two fourths".

Simple Time Signatures

Simple time signatures have only the numbers 2, 3, or 4 on the top. The amount of beats is equal with the top number of the time signature. With the exception of 4, the numbers are prime. Four is frequently interchangeable w/ two and is considered simple. Examples of simple time signatures are:

2/4, 2/2 or cut time
3/8, 3/16
4/8, 4/4 or common time.

Compound Time Signatures

Compound time signatures have top numbers such as 6, 9, and 12. Which, as you can see are divisible by three (as opposed to the simple time signatures, which are prime numbers). Compound time signatures are more tricky. Granted the top number indicates the number of beats in a measure of a simple time signature, but it is not so when dealing with compound meters.

Let's use 6/8 as an example here. In 6/8, there are 6 eight notes in one measure and the eight note gets the beat. Now, think of a song with a 6/8 time sig. (many blues songs, "Born Under a Bad Sign", "Pop Goes the Weasel"). These songs don't have six major pulses now, do they? You probably feel two, one for every three beats; 123 456, Right? This shows that each beat in a compound time signature is divided into three parts. Like a waltz, it is in three but there is one strong beat and 2 weak beats. That is the way each beat is felt in a compound time signature.

In 9/8 there are three groups of three- 123 456 789. This time signature has three beats.

There are four beats in 12/8- 123 456 789 101112

Now that you know the beat types and meter types, they can be coupled in six different combinations: