Rhythms For Practice in 4/4 Peter Sklaroff

& C œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ
3 3 3 3
5

& œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœ œœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
3 3
9

& œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ ˙ ˙
6 6 6 6
11

& œ™ œ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ™

The 12 rhythms above represent the most common subdivisions of a bar in common time or 4/4. It is essential to
be able to move between these rhythms without dropping a beat or unduly slowing down or speeding up etc.

Try the following exercises:

1) Set a metronome to around 60 BPM or below and play a single pitch for each different rhythm. You may want
to repeat some bars to help consolidate and memorise the different rhythms.

2) Try the above exercise but this time using a scale such as the major scale, ascending and descending as you feel
is appropriate to complete each bar's rhythm in full. Note that with standard 7-note scales, you may have to either
go above or below the octave to complete each rhythm in full within a bar.

3) Use alternate picking wherever possible with these exercises and I would suggest trying each bar several times
with the metronome 'click' sounding on each beat (as crotchets or quarter notes) before moving on to the next.

4) Setting the metronome to 'click' on beats 2 & 4 try all of the above once more. This exercise will help you in
gaining confidence with each rhythm and also assist in situations where the beat isn't immediately obvious or sounded.

5) Setting a comfortable tempo for the most involved rhythm (probably the sixteenth note triplets) try each bar once
with a single pitch moving from one rhythm to the next without a break. This may take several attempts to get the
entire collection correct.

6) Try the last exercise (number 5) but this time with a scale like you attempted in exercise 2. Once again, you may
find that you have to play above or below the octave to complete each rhythm within the bar.

Copyright © P.Sklaroff 2012