Estimated reading time 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you have a hard time reading rhythm notation? (Or are you a teacher who has students that struggle with rhythm?) This remains a common issue with many musicians, but especially with LD, ADD, ASD, and special needs students. Read more to learn color coded quarter note clapping.
- I wrote the post How to Color Code Rhythm: to Empower LD & Special Needs Students with music teachers of special needs students in mind.
- However, I use color coded rhythm with almost all of my students, because it makes learning rhythm so much easier.
- Then, it occurred to me that you might like having a series of online rhythm exercises that beginner musicians could practice clapping.
This post uses musical words. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the article.
Video: How Effective is Color Coding the Rhythm?
The Quarter Note Level of Rhythm and Color Coded Quarter Note Clapping
Even though the title says, Color Coded Quarter Note Clapping, really you will clap notes at the quarter note level of rhythm. This means the shortest note will be the quarter note. However, you will also clap half notes, dotted half notes, and whole notes.
In later posts, you will clap at the sixteenth note level of rhythm, and we will deal with tied notes in varied settings. Also see:
Color Coded Quarter Note Clapping: How It Works
The amount of counting numbers a note gets is determined by the note’s shape.
- The standard approach to clapping rhythm entails writing counting numbers above the notes to help keep track of when to clap.
- However, many people find this confusing.
In Color Coded Quarter Note Clapping, I’ve colored the counting numbers to make it easier for you to know when to clap. How it works:
- Red = clap
- Blue = do not clap
The Rhythmic Exercises and Color Coded Quarter Note Clapping
As you attempt the color coded quarter note clapping, count the numbers out loud one after the other, going from left to right.
- Clap when you say the red numbers, and do not clap when you say the blue numbers.
- In addition, I have included sound tracks that demonstrate the rhythms.
- DO NOT listen to the tracks before you try clapping.
- Instead, use the sound tracks to check yourself after you have clapped the rhythm.
As you clap, pay attention to how many counts each type of note gets:
- Quarter note: a black notehead and a stem = 1 count
- Half note: a white notehead and a stem = 2 counts
- Dotted half note: a half note with a dot to the right of the note = 3 counts
- Whole note: a white notehead but without a stem = 4 counts
Also, I have provided an example of a tied note.
- I put an “X” over the second note of the tied pair to show that it does not get clapped.
- In addition, the examples go through the most common rhythmic patterns for the 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures.
- Once you can clap the exercises with confidence, try the quiz.
Mobile users: for best results reading the music examples, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
4/4 Exercise
4/4 Rhythms for Color Coded Quarter Note Clapping:
3/4 Exercise
3/4 Rhythms for Color Coded Quarter Note Clapping:
Color Coded Quarter Note Clapping: Quiz
Conclusion
The beauty of color coded quarter note clapping is that it reduces the information that you need for executing the rhythm.
It shrinks the info from about a dozen note-shapes down to just two simple guidelines:
- Red = clap
- Blue = do not clap
This multisensory teaching strategy is a good option for just about any musician.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today.
Glossary
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