Level 34 of 36 · Book IV: Moving around
Sight-reading exercises with syncopation
Syncopation: notes that start between the beats. The figure here is eighth–quarter–eighth, where the quarter note starts on the “and” and carries across the beat.
- Hands together
- D, B♭, F or C major
- 4/4 time
- = 52 to start
8 different exercises, each 8 bars. Listen first, or play it yourself: the music waits for each note.
What level 34 adds
The right hand mixes the syncopated figure with quarters, halves and pairs of eighths, over a left hand in whole and half notes. Exercises are in C, G, F, D or B♭ major.
What to watch for
- The quarter note on the “and”: it starts halfway through a beat, so nothing new is played on the next beat.
- Not straightening it out: it is tempting to play the quarter on the beat. Count to place it.
- The left hand keeps the beat: let it hold steady under the off-beat notes.
How to practise it
- Count “one and two and”: eighth on “one”, quarter on “and”, eighth on the next “and”.
- Tap the rhythm once before playing it.
- Listen to an exercise first: syncopation is easier to feel than to count.
Each exercise is new music, written for this level by the same generator the app uses, so you can’t have learned it by ear. Read it once before you play, keep a steady beat, and play on through mistakes. Play it yourself checks your notes from a MIDI keyboard, the mouse or your computer keys, and Print gives you the music alone, to read at the piano.
A new piece every day, at your level
Pianomi is the app these exercises come from. It listens to your MIDI keyboard, grades every note and every beat, and moves you up the 36 levels as your reading improves. It’s free.