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Cover of Counting & Subdivision
Reference Chart

Counting & Subdivision

How to count a bar of 4/4 down into halves, quarters and triplets out loud, plus syncopation, dotted rhythms, compound time, and irregular groupings.

A4 · 1 page · 417 KB ⤢ View ⬇ Download PDF

What's inside

  • One bar of 4/4 divided into whole beats, halves, quarters and triplets, each said out loud
  • Four rhythms to say out loud — straight quavers, off-beat syncopation, long-short dotted rhythm, and ties over the beat
  • Compound time explained with 6/8, plus how 9/8 and 12/8 extend the same idea
  • A table of groups that don't fit — triplets, duplets and quintuplets — how to say each and where you'll meet it
rhythmcountingsubdivisionsyncopationcompound-time

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Comfortable ranges for soprano, alto, tenor and bass, four rules that do most of the work in SATB writing, and habits for building a chord and setting words.

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Accidentals & Enharmonics

The five signs that raise or lower a note, how long an accidental lasts, and why the same pitch can be spelled two different ways.

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Aural Training

A two-sheet guide to aural tests — telling major from minor, chords and cadences by ear, finding the metre, writing down a rhythm you've heard, and how to answer decisively in the exam room.

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