Identifying Eighth Note Rhythms
There is a simple system for identifying any note’s position in a bar by naming notes off the beat according to which beat they come directly after. The system works as follows. Within a bar of continuous eighth notes in * time, there are eight possible places where notes could occur. The first beat is called one (1), the next eighth note is called the "and of one", then comes beat two, the next eighth note is called the " and of two", then beat three, followed by the "and of three", then beat four, followed by the "and of four" which is the final eighth note in the bar. These positions are shown in the notation below.
This system is particularly useful if you are having trouble with the timing of a rhythm. You simply identify where the notes occur in relation to each beat and then count them slowly until you have memorized the rhythm.
The Eighth Rest
This symbol is a eighth rest.
It indicates half a beat of silence.
As mentioned previously, where you choose not to play a note is as important as where you do play notes. The following riff contains an eighth rest on the first beat of the bar. Listen to the CD to hear the effect this produces.
