BazzLow
ENIT
Module 2 · Lesson 4

Counting eighth notes

Count and play steady eighth notes and place notes on the off-beats.

Before this lesson: 2.3 Bars and time signatures

So far the smallest thing you have counted is the beat. Now you split each beat in two.

“1 & 2 &”

Two eighth notes fill one beat in 4/4. You count them “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &”, saying “and” for the second half of each beat. The numbered beats are the downbeats. The “&”s are the off-beats, also called upbeats.

Groups of eighth notes are joined by a beam instead of separate flags. Beams normally group notes within one beat, pairs in 4/4, so you can see where each beat starts.

Rhythm lineOne bar of 4/4 with eight eighth notes, beamed in pairs. The counts under the notes read 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.441&2&3&4&
One bar of 4/4 with eight eighth notes, beamed in pairs. The counts under the notes read 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.

Steady eighth notes on one note, often called “chugging”, are a basic rock bass part.

Notes on the off-beat

An eighth rest on the beat followed by an eighth note on the “&” puts the note on the off-beat. In the next diagram the off-beats are in color.

Rhythm lineOne bar of 4/4: on each beat an eighth rest, then an eighth note on the "&". The off-beat notes and the "&" counts are highlighted.441&2&3&4&
One bar of 4/4: on each beat an eighth rest, then an eighth note on the "&". The off-beat notes and the "&" counts are highlighted.

This is the first step toward syncopation, which comes in Module 11.

Try it

At 70 BPM, play eighth notes on the open E for 4 bars, counting aloud. Then play only the “&”s for 4 bars, still counting all of it.

New terms