This reading music lesson is a supplement to the Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory self-study workbook. While no book is perfect for learning how to read music, this is one of the best available. The concise explanations, brief practice exercises, ear-training CD’s, glossary of music terms, and answer key make it an excellent value. Buy this top-rated self-study course for beginners to advanced musicians and follow along with me. |
The best music theory book for self-study at home available today. Learn how to read and write music in 75 concise lessons you can complete at home. Improve your musical ear with ear-training exercises on 2 included CD's. Test yourself in a review section at the end of each unit. Check your knowledge with the answers in the back of the book.
Music is created by using both sound and silence.
While it’s tempting to just focus on the notes (sound), the rests (silence) are music symbols we don’t want to ignore.
They are just as equally important and give us so much needed variety and contrast.
The first type of rest we will concentrate on is the whole rest.
Whole Rests
Whole rests are similar to whole notes with one difference: Instead of 4 beats of sound, we will have 4 beats of silence.

This means that 4 steady beats of no sound going by (total silence) equals 1 whole rest.
A whole rest looks like an upside down hat or a hole in the ground.

If you can see a flower growing up from the “ground” of this type of rest, then you know it’s a whole rest.
I am showing you this now to help you see the difference between a whole rest and the half rest we are about to learn next.
Useful Rhythm Flashcards
48 rhythm flashcards with 96 different practice patterns that corresponds with the Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory, Book 1.
Fun Rhythm Games
25 different rhythm games that can be done in 5 minutes a day. The rhythm activities help students find the beat, learn note values, and meter. A great resource for piano music teachers and homeschooling parents.
Fun music rhythm games and activities following the Dalcroze method with two CD's. A great resource for music teachers and homeschool parents who want to practice finding the beat and learning rhythm through movement.
A rhythm game activity book with two CD's that follows the Dalcroze method. This is a great resource for music teachers and homeschool parents who want to teach how to find the beat and learn various rhythms through movement.
