Rhythm practice for beginners

Rhythm is everywhere—breathing, walking, or typing on your keyboard. These mundane and repetitive tasks all feature their unique pulse. Rhythm practice for beginners focuses on understanding that rhythm is innate. While it may come easier to some, with practice, anyone can improve their rhythmic abilities.

Internalize rhythm

Using a metronome, such as the Soundbrenner Pulse, is important. However, the initial step is to train your inner pulse.

Here are different ways to practice using only your voice and hands. Once you feel more confident, you can switch to using a staccato percussion instrument.

1. Take the Metronome App and set it to the common time of 4/4 at 80 BPM. Listen to the beat and try to memorize it. Then, turn off the metronome and try to imagine the beats in your head. Turn it back on to check if you are synchronized with the metronome’s beat.

2. Play the beat from memory and then play the app to check if it is in sync.

3. Try these exercises with different BPMs.

Try this exercise!

Rest for four beats and play for the next four beats.

Next, rest for three beats and play for the next four beats.

Finally, rest for two beats, then play the next two beats, alternating between them.

You can also practice rhythm using both hands.

Displacing the pulse

Slowly play slightly after the metronome’s beat until you are playing halfway between two metronome beats, also known as off-beat. Keep practicing until you feel relaxed.

The ability to shift rhythmic phrases across and between bars during rhythm practice eventually opens up opportunities for you to explore different fills and grooves.

Rhythmic subdivision and counting

The traditional way to count rhythmic subdivisions is by counting, “1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4.” In this exercise, each beat is represented as a quarter note under the common time signature 4/4.

Dividing a beat in two gives you two eighth notes, counted as “1 - and - 2 - and - 3 - and - 4 - and.”

For 16th notes, count as “1 - e - and - a - 2 - e - and - a - 3 - e - and - a - 4 - e - and - a.”

Another common way to divide the beat is into three evenly spaced notes in the space of 2, known as eighth note triplets. Count as “One – Trip – Let, Two – Trip – Let, …”

Rhythm in performance

Relax

Open your senses through relaxation and channel into what is happening around you. Rhythm practice for beginners doesn't mean practicing non-stop. Take breaks during long rehearsals to keep your body and muscles loose.

Tip: Spend a few minutes focusing on your breathing. Count slowly to 10 while inhaling, hold for 2-3 seconds, then exhale for another ten counts.

Concentration

If your thoughts and emotions are affecting your concentration, focus your energy on breathing. This can help you control emotional states that impact your focus and maintain a continuous pulse.

Counting

Count out loud and make it part of your music. The stronger you count, the stronger your rhythm.

Clap, snap, and tap your rhythm to accompany your counting. Research shows that the human motor system and its actions can influence the perception of music. In simple terms, you become physically united with the music when you clap or tap along with the beat of the metronome.

Deal with rushing and dragging

A metronome is key to avoiding playing early or late. Play loudly on top of the metronome beat. If the sound of your beat covers the rhythm of the metronome, then you are doing it correctly.

If your notes start and end in precisely the right place, your music will have a dramatically stronger effect on your audience than if they don’t.