Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music

Basic Music Theory

Other Meters

Other meters, like 2/4 and 3/4 would be treated the same, the only

difference being there would be less counts in each measure. An added

bonus is that in those meters, whole notes aren’t used.

Count the Rest

Counting rests is very similar to counting notes. Because rests are silent,

parentheses ( ) are used to indicate the silence. Here are three measures

with whole, half, and quarter rests. And just for kicks, we’ll use the 5-line

treble clef staff.

An added help when you count rests out loud is to count them softly, with

a whisper.

Example 14.5 Whole, half, and quarter rests with counting.

All Together Now

I’d rather be guilty of overkill than guilty of not being thorough, so here’s

an example with notes and rests of several different values. Knock

yourself out.

Count out loud and rhythmically, and don’t forget to tap your foot.

Example 14.6 Notes, rests, and their counts in 4/4 time.

(1-2-3-4) (1-2) (3-4) (1) (2) (3) (4)

1 -2 (3) 4 1 2 (3-4) (1) 2 -3 4