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15.3.1: Common Patterns in Compound Meter

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    258576
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    Common Patterns

    One Sound on a Beat

    Dotted half note

    The dotted half note is the note duration that is one sound on a beat in this compound meter. If we divide this beat unit into three parts, we get three quarter notes.

    Three Sounds on a Beat

    Three quarter notes

    Three quarter notes on a beat divide our beat into three equal parts. These do not have the same "3" that our triplets did in simple meter because this is the natural division of the beat.

    A Long Sound and a Short Sound

    Half note and quarter note make up the long-short pattern in this compound meter

    A half note and a quarter note create two uneven sounds on the beat. The first sound is longer and the second sound is short and comes right before the next beat.

    A Short Sound and a Long Sound

    Quarter note and half note make up the short-long pattern in this compound meter

    A quarter note and a half note also create two uneven sounds on the beat. In this one, the first sound is short and the second sound is long.


    This page titled 15.3.1: Common Patterns in Compound Meter is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lauren C. Sharkey.

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