Rhythm reading lessons › Lesson 18 of 19
Six notes per beat and dotted figures in compound time.
In 6/8 each beat holds three eighths, so sixteenths come in groups of six per beat. Keep counting the eighths ("1 la li 2 la li") and put the sixteenths in between.
The dotted-eighth, sixteenth, eighth figure is the classic jig rhythm. Keep the sixteenth short and crisp.
| Figure | Count | Kodály syllables |
|---|---|---|
| Six sixteenths | 1 & la & li & | ti-ka ti-ka ti-ka |
| Dotted eighth + sixteenth + eighth | 1 . . & li | tim-ka ti (jig) |
Each dotted-quarter beat in 6/8 holds three eighths, and each eighth splits into two sixteenths. A beat therefore holds six sixteenths and a bar holds twelve. They are beamed beat by beat, in groups that add up to three eighths.
Count the eighths as "1 la li 2 la li" and put an "&" after each one for the sixteenths: "1 & la & li &". The dotted eighth, sixteenth, eighth figure claps on "1", on the "&" after "la" and on "li": long, short, medium.
That lilting figure opens "Silent Night", gives the baroque siciliana its character and is common in jigs. Keep the sixteenth short and close to the note that follows it. If it comes too early, the figure flattens into three even eighths.