Beginner Words to help with timing

drrob7

Member
46
What?
Talking about how to help count triplets in 4/4 time in another thread has made me curious as to what words or sayings people use in their head to help with timings.

For example I use:
Triplet - sat-ur-day
Quintuplet (5) - hip-o-pot-o-mus
Eighth note followed by two sixteenths: plum pud-ding
Two sixteenths followed by an eighth: ap-ple pie

I'm keen to know others to help with tricky note groups ...
 
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I used to teach beginners note values using the names of pies.

quarter note (crotchet) peach, peach, peach, peach
eighth notes (quavers) ap-ple, ap-ple, ap-ple, ap-ple
eighth note triplets blue-ber-ry, blue-ber-ry, blue-ber-ry, blue-ber-ry
sixteenth notes (semiquavers) boy-sen-ber-ry, boy-sen-ber-ry, boy-sen-ber-ry, boy-sen-ber-ry

for a 5 note group (quintuplet) u-ni-ver-si-ty

Rather than sayings or words for different rhythms, I found the counting to be just as effective using
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.
1 & (2) & for a syncopation 2 is felt but silent
1 (&)(2) & for a dotted quarter (crotchet) and eighth (quaver) & 2 are felt but silent
 
For my first sax exam, I played a piece called Ted's Shuffle (I think) my teacher taught the rhythms as Strawberry jam, Strawberry Jam, Ice cream and strawberry jam!
 
For Crotchets I use the word Walk and for pairs of quavers I use the word Running. It sits well in the students mind, because Running is faster than Walking.

Triplets I use the word Merrily.

I also use the Hippopotamus for 5ths and antidisastablishmnet for 7ths

Dave
 
For Crotchets I use the word Walk and for pairs of quavers I use the word Running. It sits well in the students mind, because Running is faster than Walking.

Triplets I use the word Merrily.

I also use the Hippopotamus for 5ths and antidisastablishmnet for 7ths

Dave

For 7ths I use happy hippopotamus
 

Similar threads... or are they? Maybe not but they could be worth reading anyway 😀

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