The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

162 Par t 4:Accompanying

Hearing Rhythms

Lesson 4, Track 27

We’ll set aside pitches for a moment and instead focus on note durations—in

other words, your rhythm memory. Use the same technique as you did before,

but this time listen to the rhythm of a song’s melody. Start by figuring out the

time signature of the song and breaking the melody (in your head) into meas-

ures. Now pick the first few beats of the melody’s first measure. Stop the play-

back, fix that rhythm in your head, and then pound it out with your hand on a

table. Repeat this process until you can hold the rhythm in your head for half a

minute or longer.

Once you can repeat a short rhythmic phrase, it’s time to up the ante. Try re-

peating the rhythm for an entire measure; then two, then four, then for the

entire melody. Always check your accuracy by pounding the table in time to the

original song.

With the entire rhythm of the melody committed to memory, use the theory

you’ve learned and try to transcribe the rhythm. Start small, a beat or two at a

time. Make sure the rhythm you write is mathematically sound; for example, if

the song is in 4/4, all the notes have to add up to a full whole note. (That means

four quarters, or eight eights, or two quarters and four eights, or whatever.)

Once you’ve written down the entire rhythm, play back the song again, this

time reading the rhythm you’ve written. If you notice a discrepancy, correct it;

otherwise, repeat the exercise with another song; this time one that is more

rhythmically complex.

Hearing Melodies

Lesson 5, Track 36

Now that you can hear individual notes, intervals, and rhythms, you should be

able to hear and transcribe complete melodies. All you have to do is put together

everything you hear, in the right order, to develop your melodic memory.

Although you can piece together a melody one note or interval at a time, it’s

easier if you try to grasp the big picture first. That means figuring out how

When you first start listening to intervals, you should focus on the relative

distance between the two notes. Is it a wide span between the pitches?

If so, the interval is a larger one; maybe a fifth or a sixth or something

even larger. Is it a narrow span between the pitches? If so, the interval

is a smaller one; maybe some sort of second or third. Narrow the possibilities

down as much as possible before you determine the precise interval.

Tip