Rhythm before the instrument — so here's a page with no violin on it at all. Each line is
a rhythm to clap and count out loud at the marked tempo, keeping the pulse dead steady.
No pitches to worry about; just the pattern in time.
Do them in order. A line passes when you can clap it twice through with the count running
continuously and no stumble on the subdivisions. If your own counting syllables are more
natural for the fast bits, use them — the clapping is what's being tested.
1 · Quarters and eighths
72 bpm
Clap and count '1 2 3 & 4 | 1 & 2 3 4'.
2 · Add a rest and a half note
72 bpm
Keep counting through the rest and through the half note. Try it, then reveal.
3 · The dotted figure
66 bpm
Long–short on beat 1, then again on beat 2 of the second bar. Count '1 – & 2 3 4'. Try it, then reveal.
4 · A triplet
60 bpm
Three even notes on beat 3 — 'trip-a-let'. Don't rush out of it. Try it, then reveal.
5 · Syncopation
64 bpm
An eighth rest on the downbeat, then notes pushing against the beat. Keep your foot rigid. Try it, then reveal.
If a line keeps failing
Strip it down further: clap it with no counting, just the pattern, very slow. Then add the
count back. Then bring the tempo up one notch at a time. A rhythm you can't clap, you
certainly can't play.