How to Read Rhythms?

Reading rhythms is an open discipline, meaning anyone can come up with a system that will best suit them to read music and interpret it the best way. There are some established systems, and the most common one in modern music teaching is using numbers with support syllables as “and” to refer to the offbeats in the rhythm.

In this lesson, we’ll go through 2 different approaches to rhythm solfège, both come from very different schools and time periods, they are very useful to acquire rhythmic knowledge and can be quite fun to practice once you get the handle of them.

The “numbers” method

Using numbers is the obvious choice when counting rhythms, since they give the exact framework of the notes.

For this, we’ll use three different subdivisions to count: quarter notes (1), eight notes (2), and sixteenth notes (4).

• Using the quarter notes as the starting point, we’ll give them a main count of 1, 2, 3, 4:

• In between the figures, we’ll use the filling “and”. This will give us the eight notes:

• In between the eight notes, we’ll add the “e-and-a“.

So the count will be: one-e-and-a. This will give us the 16th note value:

This method is specially useful for beginners since it helps to keep the count in mind by making an extra effort counting the number of the pulse in the bar, meaning the length of the 4/4 bar will always be present. Let’s see some examples and combinations:

Every figure falling in a beat in the bar must maintain the number of its pulse. Here are two more examples:

Once we achieve a passive notion of the 4/4 bar, we’ll have to deal with the permutations, meaning the possible figures inside the spectrum of the 16th notes. But there is something lacking in this, and it is the percussive sound of the rhythms. Something very important that will help our brain retain the information not only as words but as musical information.

As I said, you have the option to go with the first method, but now let me introduce you with a personal favorite.

Solkattu

Solkattu is a way of learning and practicing rhythms through vocalizations of syllables. In performance, solkattu is traditionally called konnakol; maybe you have seen some of this on the internet. It comes from the South Indian Carnatic tradition of music, which is one of the oldest ones in the world and has been able to keep its original integrity through the ages. This means they have had quite a long time to develop a method to study rhythm. The syllables traditionally used are there for a reason; the Carnatic musicians understand the importance of percussive sounds and arranging syllables that are easy to modulate to, they have established not only a method but a vocabulary that helps the student assimilate rhythm in a deeper way. So, you can create the syllables you want to study rhythm with, but beware that not all combinations will be effective because of pronunciation. My recommendation is to stick with the ones the pros have already adapted.

The greatness of solkattu is that it fits the words and creates a correlation between strong and weak syllables, which translate to a musical motion that will become intuitive the more you practice it. 

In the carnatic method, the primary syllables are “ta” and “ka”. If you say them, you will notice the work they do on our tongue, “ta” being pronounced by the tip of the tongue while “ka” is pronounced with the back of the tongue. Both syllables are strong and yet easy to change one to another, which makes the rhythms even and uniform, plus this easiness of pronunciation will be more obvious in higher speeds. Besides “ta-ka”, more complex subdivisions require extensions to these syllables.

The 4-note subdivision we know as the “16th note” group is called “chatusra” and the syllables assigned to it are: ta-ka-di-mi.

As we dig deeper into the 4 note subdivision, we’ll encounter its permutations, shapes that fluctuate inside the framework of the four notes. These permutations can be practiced with different approaches to the solkattu method.

First Solkattu Method

We’ll have the 16th notes interpreted by the syllables: ta-ka-ta-ka.

Now, following the framework of 4 notes, the permutations will acquire the correspondent syllable to precisely fit the ta-ka-ta-ka form. They will go like this:

Second Solkattu Method

In addition to this, we can go back to the original ta-ka-di-mi word, and add another syllable: “dim”, to pronounce certain long notes in the rhythms. “Dim” is a great syllable for this, since the letter “m” provides a good sensation of syllable extension. Another implicit rule is that if the first note of the figure is not on the 1st block, they will be pronounced as “ka”, even if they are long notes. Some figures will be altered, like this:

With this method, you can start grasping the freedom of the syllables once you get used to them. Some syllables will seem to “fit” better with the rhythms, and with practice, during improvisation you might surprise yourself changing syllables on the spot to fit the musical expression you are aiming for.

You can also use the first numbers method to read these permutations. They would arrange like this:

If you are used to the length of the bar you are working on, adding the solkattu method might be easier and a more musical approach to reading rhythms. Let’s go through the same examples used above, but now with the solkattu method:

Let’s read some rhythms!

Now, let’s try to read the following exercises with any of the methods mentioned. Use the one you prefer but remember to use a metronome!

Use both!

In my experience, both as a student and as a teacher, the “numbers” method is a great way of introducing students to rhythm counting because it not only provides knowledge on the feeling of the subdivision but also reinforces awareness of the bar. Constant practice of this should provide a passive or unconscious perception of the bar length.

While the second one is better at grasping the percussive sound of rhythm, relating the information not as mere words but as musical information. Also, since the solkattu syllables are easier to pronounce at different speeds, be they higher or slower, they are better suited for solfège practice, improvisation, and rhythm perception for any purpose the musician might have: transcription, quick response, execution of music parts in the moment of listening, etc.

So my recommendation if you are a beginner is to go through both methods. They will complement each other very well.

Now, this last section is more of a recommendation that applies to both methods mentioned: play the rhythms you read!

It doesn’t matter what instrument you play; you should be able to perform these rhythms in a percussive manner, both with your hands and with a pair of drumsticks, a pencil, or anything else. Just make sure you don’t keep the rhythms in the mouth only; try expressing them with your body, and this will create the final bridge in rhythm understanding. After a while of practice, this will give a lot of freedom over the rhythms, making them intuitive, easier to read, perceiving them as a language, and finally, communicating them.

But, to practice rhythm, you need exercises! If you are interested in a library with over 1000 rhythm reading exercises and a very useful app to play the exercises at any speed in any device, make sure to check out the rhythm school. I guarantee your rhythmic knowledge and vocabulary will improve miles along with your musical expression capability, after all, communication requires information, the more rhythm you know, the more you will be able to communicate!

Stay rhythmic!

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