Rhythm Counting and Notation

Rhythm Countingand Notation

Quaver QK-8 Curriculum

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Rhythm Counting and Notation

Grades K-8

OverviewRhythm counting is an essential skill in music. We believe a student’s ability to hear, feel, and repeat (vocalize, perform, or audiate) rhythms depends on the ability to count rhythms accurately. After this skill is mastered, the student can then learn to read and write rhythms.

While there are many approaches to rhythm counting, we have narrowed the options in the Quaver curriculum to five. These are summarized in the exhibit below and then discussed in detail afterward. The five approaches we have chosen reflect the approaches most utilized by music teachers.

Note that the five rhythm counting approaches displayed in the exhibit be-low are not listed in any preferred order. They are, however, listed in the same sequence that is used in the Quaver rhythm counting screens for each folk or original teaching song.

Five Rhythm Counting ApproachesIn this section, we describe five common rhythm counting approaches in more detail.

• Syllables System

• Numbers System

• Gordon Audiation Method

• Takadimi Rhythm System

• Eastman Counting System

Rhythm Counting and Notation 3

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Triple Meter

Duple Meter

Rhythm

Rhythm Syllables

Syllables

ta • a • a • a

ta • a • a

ta • a

ta

tam ti

ti ti

ti tam

ti ta ti

tim ka

ti ti ka

ka tim

ka ti ka

ti ka ti

ti ka ti ka

tri • o • la

ta • am

tam

ta ti

ti ti ti

ti ta

tim ka ti

tim ka ti ka

ti ka ti ti

ti ka ti ka ti

ti ka ti ka ti ka

Takadimi

ta di

ta di di

ta mi

ta di mi

ta ka

ta ka mi

ta ka di

ta ka di mi

Takadimi

ta • a • a • a

ta • a • a

ta • a

ta

ta di

ta di

ta ki da

ta • a

ta

ta da

ta ki da

ta ki

ta di da

ta di da ma

ta va ki da

ta va ki di da

ta va ki di da ma

Gordon

Gordon

du • u • u • u

du • u • u

du • u

du

du de

du de

du de

du de de

du ta

du de ta

du ta

du ta ta

du ta de

du ta de ta

du da di

du • u

du

du di

du da di

du da

du ta di

du ta di ta

du ta da di

du ta da ta di

du ta da ta di ta

Eastman

Eastman

1

1

1

1

1 te

1 la li

1 te

1 te

1 te te

1 ta

1 te ta

1 ti

1 ti ta

1 ti te

1 ti te ta

1

1

1 li

1 la li

1 la

1 ta li

1 ta li ta

1 ta la li

1 ta la ta li

1 ta la ta li ta

Numbers

Numbers

1

1

1

1

1 &

1 &

1 &

1 & &

1 a

1 & a

1 e

1 e a

1 e &

1 e & a

1 trip • let

1

1

1 3

1 2 3

1 2

1 & 3

1 & 3 &

1 & 2 3

1 & 2 & 3

1 & 2 & 3 &

Grades K-8

Rhythm Counting Matrix

Quaver QK-8 Curriculum4

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1. The Syllables System

The approach used by Quaver regarding rhythm syllables is based primarily on the Kodály method in combination with other rhythm counting meth-ods. Thus, with any number of syllable-based systems available, there does not appear to be one preferred method for counting.

Three prominent syllable systems are detailed below. Using the Gordon method, four beamed sixteenth notes placed on beat one would be spoken “du ta de ta.” Using the Takadimi system, they would be pronounced “ta ka di mi,” and in the Eastman system, they would be articulated as “1 ti te ta.” Other examples are presented in the Rhythm Matrix.

Depending on the system, note values are assigned certain syllables that express their exact durations. For example, using a Kodály-based system, a quarter note would be verbally expressed as “ta” and two beamed eighth notes would be expressed as “ti-ti.” Therefore, one potential advantage of a syllable-based system is that it allows the value of any note to be precisely represented, regardless of its placement within the beat or measure.

To exemplify, if again using a Kodály-based system, the rhythms of “Old McDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o” would be spoken “titi titi titi ta I titi titi ta z.” However, one possible limitation of a strictly syllable-based counting system is that, eventually, all serious musicians must learn to count using a num-ber-based system, such as the one described in the next section.

2. The Number System

What is known today by the term “Number System” (or “Count Chant”) or a variety of other similar terms, is really a generic blend of ideas that have emerged during the long and arduous history of notated music. Rhythm, of course, is simply a subset of notated music, the earliest form of which can be traced back to stone tablets (dating around 2000 B.C.) discovered in pres-ent-day Iraq.

Along with other European composers, Italian musicians and composers in particular led the way with significant innovations in music notation, includ-ing the advent of time signatures, meter signs, articulation markings, and note duration symbols. And it was allegedly during the time span from the


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Renaissance through the Classical periods that a recognized counting system using numbers began to emerge.

Concurrently, other countries (such as India, China, Indonesia, Japan, and Rus-sia) were also developing their own unique notation systems that included rhythm counting methods. Today, although there are literally dozens of nota-tion systems in use that by definition include various rhythm counting meth-ods (such as tablature, graphic notation, integer notation, rap notation), our focus is on the “Number System,” including its elements and practice.

As opposed to the syllable-based systems, a number-based system teaches students to count using mainly numbers and vowels, along with a very limited amount of syllables. And as with the various syllable-based systems, there are different “shades” and derivations of the number system.

To begin, the downbeats in each measure are determined and labeled accord-ing to the meter of the music. For example, four quarter notes in a measure of common time would be labeled and counted “1-2-3-4.” No matter which meter is in play, the corresponding downbeats in each measure are almost always la-beled and counted according to the sequential number dictated by the meter.

In cut time (or 2/2), downbeat one is nearly always called “1” and downbeat two is always called “2.” It is the subdivisions that are labeled by vowels (“e” and/or “a”), and the ampersand (&), which represents the conjunction “and.” Thus, in 4/4 time, a series of eighth notes would be counted “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” – each ampersand representing the upbeats. Or, in 2/4 time, two sets of four beamed sixteenths notes, beginning on beat one, would be counted “1 e & a 2 e & a.” The Rhythm Matrix shows other examples.

As mentioned earlier, there are always minor variations in a number-based sys-tem. For example, some musicians count four beamed sixteenth notes as “1 e & ah” instead of “1 e & a.” In 6/8 time, some count the downbeat eighth notes as “1 & a 2 & a” or “One-and-ah Two-and-ah” instead of “1-2-3-4-5-6.” Although triplets in common time are often counted “1-po-let 2-po-let 3-po-let 4-po-let,” some prefer “1 tri-plet 2 tri-plet 3 tri-plet 4 tri-plet” or some other variation of numbers and syllables.

The main idea, though, is despite the different variations, the number system is probably the most popular counting method available, especially among instrumental music teachers and band directors.


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3. The Gordon Audiation Method

This system, developed by Edwin E. Gordon, is based on his Music Learning Theory and involves a rhythm counting approach centered on audiation instead of notational sequencing. Dr. Gordon began theorizing about au-diation in the mid-1970s and in the early 1980s settled on a beat-function system (described below) for helping students learn to audiate rhythmi-cally. Foundationally, rhythm counting starts from the easiest rhythms to audiate and progresses from there. Rhythm learning is based on meter and a progressive set of rhythm patterns which themselves are built on three rhythmic elements: macrobeats, microbeats, and melodic rhythm.

Interpreting macrobeats is somewhat subjective, but essentially means identifying the longest beats relative to a given meter. For example, in du-ple meter (the most common meter), the macrobeats would be quarter or half notes (depending on who’s doing the audiating). The microbeats would be shorter, typically dividing the macrobeats in an even manner (e.g. paired eighth notes). The melodic rhythm would be the ongoing series of rhythm patterns in a piece of music. The rhythm patterns could coincide with the rhythm of the melody or the lyrics of a piece of music.

Because rhythm counting is based on audiation according to the Gordon theory, the rhythm solfege system that’s most effective for cultivating audi-ation could be the beat function system (developed by Gordon and others during the 1980s). This system’s strengths appear to be:

• It is centered on how rhythms are audiated as opposed to how they are notated. Because a given rhythm pattern may be no-tated in a variety of ways, it can be confusing to see, hear, and perform it with different verbal connections.

• It is nearly all-inclusive, allowing virtually any rhythm to pos-sess its own “rhythmic spelling.” Whether a meter is duple, triple, unusual, or combined — any pattern in any meter has its own distinct rhythm syllables, promoting the ability to distinguish between different patterns, functions, and meters. (See Rhythm Matrix for common examples.)


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4. The Takadimi Rhythm System

Created in 1996 by Richard Hoffman, William Pelto, and John W. White, the Takadimi system was designed to help students learn a variety of rhythm skills. As opposed to numeric counting such as 1-e-&-ah, the Takadimi system teaches students to articulate certain syllables on, and within the beat. For example four barred sixteenth notes are pronounced “ta-ka-di-mi”. Taught in music classes from elementary school through college, this system has slowly grown in popularity, especially over the last decade or so.

In the early development of Takadimi, it was a primary objective of the three founders to glean the best, most effective practices from several other existing systems, then modify and refine them to create this unique system. In doing so, Hoffman, Pelto, and White established six goals below to guide them during the development of the Takadimi system. Here is a paraphrase of those six goals, summarizing what they believed the ideal system should include. The ideal system should...

• Lead to accuracy and musicality in performance (with both re-hearsed and sight-read music), including the ability to recog-nize and perform musical gestures.

• Require and demonstrate a/an: a) understanding of rhythmic structure, b) recognition of metric and rhythmic interaction, c) contextual awareness of precise beat and attack point loca-tions.

• Facilitate aural recognition and identification of rhythmic pat-terns and metric divisions.

• Provide a precise and consistent language to discuss tempo-ral phenomena, making the creation of new terms or separate categories for performance, transcription, or analytical work unnecessary.

• Address rhythmic issues present in notated and/or recorded music that lies outside the realm of traditional (standard) tonal literature, such as music containing: asymmetric meters, mod-


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ulation of meter or tempo, complex syncopations, complex tuplet groupings, and/or passages that combine these in novel and challenging ways.

• Be a system, like pitch solfège, that is easily applied and adapted to broad applications...in other words, a tool for life-long use.

Takadimi helps students learn to comprehend rhythms in a manner sim-ilar to the way they would learn a new language. First, students learn to hear, identify, and repeat rhythms prior to associating those rhythms with written notation. In other words, using specific verbal syllables, stu-dents hear and articulate rhythms before learning to read or write music.

The Takadimi system is based on two sets of related syllables:

• Simple Meter – The attack on the beat is pronounced “ta.” The attack on the second half of the beat is pronounced “di.” If the beat were divided into fourths, the resulting rhythm would be pronounced “ta ka di mi.”

• Compound Meter – Again, the attack on the beat is pro-nounced “ta.” The first division in thirds would be pronounced “ta ki da.” A subdivision in sixths would be pronounced “TA va ki DI da ma.” Notice that in both meters (or either meter), “ta” ALWAYS begins the beat and “di” ALWAYS marks the middle of the beat. According to the founders, this simplifies everything, such as maintaining rhythmic consistency when switching between simple and compound meters. Also, the system can extend to allow for more unusual time signatures by adding the syllable “ti” to the end of any subdivision.

5. The Eastman Counting System

The Eastman counting system, which evolved during the 1950s at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, has been slowly, but steadily growing in popularity. The system represents an effort to simplify rhyth-


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mic counting by employing a precise set of syllables. When used correct-ly, each basic rhythm has a distinct “spelling” that fosters rhythmic consis-tency in the musician.

The Eastman System can be used to study the rhythms of written music, to precisely transcribe aural music, to help one sight read melodies, and so on. With only six principles to conquer, the greatest benefit of this sys-tem is probably its simplicity.

• A note that begins on the beat (or downbeat) is called by the number of the beat.

• A note that begins halfway between two beats (or upbeat) is called “te” (pronounced tay).

• A note that begins on the second quarter of the beat (or 2nd sixteenth) is called “ti” (pronounced tee); a note beginning on the fourth quarter of the beat (or 4th sixteenth) is called “ta” (pronounced tah).

• A note that begins on the second third of the beat (or 2nd note of a triplet) is called “la” (pronounced lah).

• A note that begins on the third third of a beat (or 3rd note of a triplet) is called “li” (pronounced lee).

• Any other note is called “ta” (pronounced tah).

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Grades K-8

Rhythm Counting and Notation

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