Find the space between beats
On this page
Say two even counts inside each quarter-note beat, then keep that spacing when the smaller clicks stop.
What to listen for
The and sits halfway between main beats in this Straight 4/4 task. Do not crowd it towards the next number.
Try the practice
Check the setup
- Meter
- 4/4
- Tempo
- 80 BPM · quarter note beats
- Subdivisions
- 8ths
- Swing
- Straight
- Accent sound
- On
- Mode
- Session
- Count-in
- 1 bar
- Duration
- 16 bars
Opens in a new tab. Review the settings, then press Start when ready.
- Count one-and, two-and, three-and, four-and with the eighth-note clicks for four bars.
- Clap the numbers while continuing to say every and for four bars.
- Stop, change Subdivisions to Main beats and repeat the count. Keep each and halfway between numbers.
Native and borrowed divisions
In this 4/4 task, eighths give two positions per quarter-note beat and sixteenths give four. Triplets divide the same beat into three. In 6/8, native eighths give three per dotted-quarter beat; duplets divide that larger beat into two. Keep the same named BPM unit when comparing them.
What to check
Keep the same spacing for four bars when only the main beats sound.
When to simplify
Return to audible eighths or count without clapping if the and drifts.
Hear Straight and Shuffle
Compare even spacing with a longer first part while keeping the main pulse.
Try the next practice