Rhythm reading lessons › Lesson 9 of 19
Waltz time: three beats with a strong first beat.
3/4 has three quarter-note beats per bar, with the weight on beat 1. The dotted half note fills a whole bar.
Count "1 2 3" with a little lean on 1. Everything from earlier lessons applies, just in groups of three.
| Figure | Count | Kodály syllables |
|---|---|---|
| Dotted half | 1 (2 3) | ta-a-a |
| Quarter | 1 2 3 | ta |
The upper number says how many beats are in a bar and the lower number says which note value gets one beat. 3/4 therefore means three quarter-note beats per bar. A dotted half note lasts three beats and fills the bar. A whole note does not fit, although a full bar of silence is still written with a whole rest.
Beat 1 is strong and beats 2 and 3 are light: "ONE two three". Try stepping on 1 and clapping lightly on 2 and 3 before you start the exercises. If you have mostly played in 4/4, your body will want to add a fourth beat, so count out loud for the first bars of every exercise.
3/4 is the meter of the waltz and the minuet, and of songs such as "Happy Birthday" and "Amazing Grace". Fast waltzes are often felt in one, with a single pulse per bar, but the notation stays the same.