EXCERPT 1

This book can be used to learn sight reading and to learn rhythms. There are some definite right and wrong ways to approach this goal. If you are a total beginner, obviously you will have to first learn the subdivisions of a measure and what each eighth note or sixteenth note rhythm sounds like. This may require you to subdivide a measure or a beat in your head. For instance, the eighth note rhythm in Example 1 could be subdivided by counting eighth notes in your head as you play the rhythm.

Example 2 shows how you might subdivide a sixteenth note measure. Though this type of subdividing may help initially to figure out a rhythm, in the long run is a very bad idea to develop a habit like this. It is much better not to count at all, but to "feel" the rhythm. This "feeling" requires that you know what the rhythm sounds like before you play it. This instant recognition of a written rhythm can be developed by trusting your internal rhythmic clock, relaxing, and memorizing the sounds of all rhythms. This may seem like a daunting task considering how many rhythmic combinations there are but look at this as a long range project. You will be reading music for the rest of your life, so start now.