The course › Unit 6: Rhythm in detail
Lesson 35 of 72 · Starting before the first beat, holding a note across the bar line
Lots of melodies don’t start on beat 1: they get a running start with one or a few notes before the first full measure. These notes make up a pickup (also called an upbeat, or anacrusis).
In When the Saints Go Marching In, the first three notes (C, E, F) are a pickup, on beats 2, 3 and 4; the whole note (G) falls on beat 1. The pickup measure is incomplete: it’s missing its 1st beat.
The pickup: three quarter notes before the first bar line. Count “1” silently, then play on 2, 3, 4.
Tip: In falling notes, a pickup is often written as a full measure that starts with rests: don’t rush, count them!
Why this way: Counting out loud, then in your head, is the simplest way not to get lost: the beat becomes a reflex, and rests and pickups land right on time.
Each rhythm starts with rests: count them along with the count-in, and only start tapping at the pickup.
A tie is a small curved line joining two notes of the same pitch. You play the first one and hold it for the length of the second, without playing it again: the lengths add up.
It’s mostly used to carry a note across the bar line: a note can’t spill over the end of its measure, so it’s written in two tied pieces.
The E lasts 3 beats (2 + 1), across the bar line. The G lasts 8 beats (4 + 4): two whole measures.
Watch out: Don’t confuse it with a slur, which joins different notes: it means “play legato”, smoothly, without breaking the sound between the notes. You’ll meet it later.
You don’t play a tied note again: the app goes straight on to the next note. Keep the key down for the whole length, and count.
In 3/4, with a one-beat pickup and tied notes. Listen to the model first, then read: the pickup (G) falls on beat 3.
Amazing Grace, in 3/4, with its pickup: count “1, 2” silently, and play the G below middle C (thumb) on “3”. The dotted half notes last the whole measure. Right hand. Count “1, 2, 3”: the pickup falls on 3.
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