Lesson 25: Sixteenth Notes
- Play four even sixteenth notes per beat.
- Keep dotted eighths and sixteenths in time in Joy to the World.
Slow beats can hold four quick, even notes.
Four sixteenth notes fit each quarter note beat: count “one-e-and-a”. Keep them even as the fingers change.
Tap a slow beat and clap four equal sounds per tap, then play at that speed.
Keep the underlying beat steady while the rhythm above it changes.
Play: Joy to the World
A dotted eighth lasts three sixteenths: count “1-e-and-A”, playing the short note on “a”.
The Lutheran Hymnary (1913), No. 201; public domain, down a tone; harmony and slurs omitted.
Now play these
- Joy to the World — complete ANTIOCH melody
- Keep its long-short pairs in time.
- Merrily We Roll Along — complete chorus
- Keep the dotted pairs and rests clear on both passes.
After Lesson 29’s ties, return to Jingle Bells, Silent Night and Molly Malone; prepare Silent Night’s short ornament on its page first.
When the drill has four equal notes per click and Joy to the World’s short notes land on time, move on to Lesson 26.
For help choosing a practice speed, see learning a piece.