How to Read and Count Any Rhythm: Quavers to 16ths

To read and count rhythm, divide each beat by two (one-and), three (one-and-a) or four (one-e-and-a), clap each pattern while counting aloud, then play it on a single note or chord on the piano before combining patterns.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Beginner · 35 min

Can't see the video? Watch it on YouTube.

This lesson is Part 2 of Jason Zac's binary rhythm counting series at Nathaniel School of Music. Part 1 explained the theory of dividing a beat by two, three and four. Here you put it into practice with stepwise reading exercises in 4/4, moving from quavers (eighth notes) to triplets and finally to semiquavers (sixteenth notes). It suits beginners, pianists and composers who want to read rhythm confidently rather than guess.

How to work through each exercise

1. Clap first while counting aloud, so the pattern lives in your body before your hands get busy.
2. Play one note on the piano, or a single chord, to the rhythm. Later you can move through a chord progression.
3. Keep a pulse in the left hand while the right hand plays the rhythm.
4. Sing it using made-up syllables. Different syllables help your brain capture the pattern, and you can even turn it into a tune.

Part 1: Quavers (dividing by two)

Count each beat as one and two and three and four and. Only say the "and" aloud where a quaver actually falls, and count the other divisions in your head.

• Pattern 1: quavers on beats one, three and four, with a crotchet on beat two: one and two three and four and.
• Pattern 2: four quavers beamed across beats one and two, then crotchets on three and four: one and two and three four.
• Pattern 3: a crotchet on beat one, quavers on beats two and three, and a crotchet on beat four.
• Pattern 4: quavers on beats one and two, a quaver rest then a quaver on beat three, and a crotchet on four. Lift your hand away on three to make the silence obvious.
• Pattern 5: includes a crotchet rest, giving the bar a relaxed feel.

Adding dots and ties

Dots and ties take your reading to the next level. A dotted crotchet followed by a quaver lasts through beat two and lands on the "and" of two. A tie extends the sound of a note into the next count, so you do not strike the tied beat again. Watch out for ties that stop you hitting a beat you would normally play. A minim returns in one exercise; make sure you hold it for its full two beats.

The quaver section ends with two-bar phrases, including one where the last note is tied across the barline into beat one of the next bar.

Part 2: Triplets (dividing by three)

Count triplets as one and a two and a. Three slots per beat give 2 × 2 × 2 = eight possible patterns, some plain (trivial) and some off-beat (groovy). Exercises include crotchet–triplet–crotchet, a swing triplet with the middle note left out, and a minim combined with triplets. A useful piano tip: play an arpeggio on the fast triplet notes and a single note on the slower notes. Several of the groovier patterns sound typical of Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani folk, Middle Eastern and Turkish music.

Part 3: Semiquavers (dividing by four)

Count each beat as one e and a. Four slots per beat give 16 possible patterns. You can also use syllables: tha for no division, taka for two, takita for three and takadimi for four. Exercises include a crotchet followed by semiquaver groupings, a dotted crotchet with a quaver, a quaver rest and a quaver, gallop figures, a patterns that skips the final semiquaver, and a salsa-flavoured rhythm. When the counting gets fast, slow down and clap again.

Rests are partly a visual convenience: you may let the previous note ring into a rest, or observe the silence as written.

How to practise

Pause the video before each example so you read it yourself instead of copying the sound. Although every exercise is in 4/4, the same logic works in any time signature: remove a beat for 3/4 or add one for 5/4. Finally, compose something with each pattern. Spending half an hour building melodies and harmonies around these rhythms is the best way to make the concept your own.

Questions about this lesson

How do you count triplets?

Count each beat as one and a, two and a, so three even notes fit inside one beat. Only voice the syllables where notes actually fall.

How do you count sixteenth notes?

Each beat is divided into four and counted one e and a. If it feels too fast, slow the tempo and clap it before playing.

Do I have to observe every rest?

Not always. In this lesson rests are treated partly as a visual convenience, so you can let the previous note ring into the rest or keep the silence as printed.

Do these exercises only work in 4/4?

They are written in 4/4 to keep the focus on one time signature, but the counting logic applies anywhere. Remove a beat for 3/4 or add one for 5/4.

Practise it

• Rhythm ArithmeticBuild a phrase from sounds and silences, see it become staff notation, and loop it for practice.
• Rhythm TeacherBuild accent patterns, divide beats and explore odd metres and polyrhythms.
• All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.

Related lessons

• How to Count 6/8 Time on Piano Using Arpeggios (Part 1)To feel 6/8 on piano, add the octave to a triad to make a four-note arpeggio, play it up and down so it cycles every six notes, and count those six either as two groups of three (a triplet feel) or as three groups of two (eighth notes in 3/4).
• 5 Methods to Use and Feel Triplets in All Forms of MusicA triplet divides a beat into three equal parts, and you can learn to feel it naturally by practising triplet rhythmic devices, 3-over-2 polyrhythms, compound time such as 6/8 and 12/8, accented sets of three, and swing.
• Urvasi Bass Groove: 4 Exercises to Improve Your Timing (Part 2)To improve your timing on bass, keep a steady quarter-note pulse with your foot, imagine a sixteenth-note shaker running in your head, sing the line as you play it, and transcribe the groove onto a 1-e-and-a time grid so you know exactly where each note falls.
• Improve Your Sense of Rhythm on Piano: Time Feel, Swing and Triplets (Part 2)To build a strong time feel on piano, keep a steady pulse, divide each beat by two, three or four, choose straight or swing, and then create grooves by playing only some of the divisions or accenting them in irregular groups. In short: divide more and play less.