Checkpoint: Two Rhythmic Feels
Updated: 2026-07-10By the end of this checkpoint, you will perform two complete original pieces with contrasting rhythmic feels. Window Light is in straight 4/4 and uses eighth notes, sixteenth notes, rests, and a lightly syncopated tie. Tilting Boat is in compound 6/8 and follows its own melody over two large beats divided into three. Each piece is eight measures long and split into two readable systems.
Try it now
Do not perform either piece yet. Tap four beats and clap the right-hand rhythm of measure 1 from the straight piece. Then switch to “ONE-la-li TWO-la-li” and clap six even eighth-note subdivisions for one 6/8 measure.
Prepare two different clocks
The 4/4 piece has four quarter-note beats, divided evenly into eighths and sixteenths. The 6/8 piece has six written eighth notes felt as two dotted-quarter beats, each divided into three. Speak the correct count before practicing pitches. Take one clear breath before changing feels; do not mix “1-and” with “1-la-li.”
Both pieces use beginner ranges: mostly C4-G4 in the right hand and C3-G3 in the left. There is no pedal and no large leap. The challenge is organizing time while the hands use different densities. A four-measure system is a practical unit, but a piece is complete only when both systems connect continuously.
Two performance modes
In a performance pass, preserve flow: continue through a small pitch error and record it afterward. In a repair pass, stop at the exact measure, reduce the passage to rhythm or one pitch, and repeat a short segment. Do not combine the modes. Repeatedly restarting during a performance does not test whether you can preserve form.
Give each piece one measure of count-in. Use “1-and 2-and 3-and 4-and” for the straight piece and “ONE-la-li TWO-la-li” for 6/8. The count establishes the grid before the first note and helps both hands enter together.
Exercise
Piece 1: Window Light
Clap the right hand while the foot maintains quarter notes, then practice each hand alone. In measures 2 and 5, count through the eighth rests. In measure 5, E4 begins on the “and” of beat 2 and ties to E4 on beat 3: press once on the weak subdivision and sustain through 3. In measure 7, four sixteenth notes fill beat 1. Play all eight measures without stopping and note any error after the ending.
This is a straight feel: subdivisions within each beat are equally spaced. Do not add swing. Dynamic shape may clarify the phrase, but one eighth note must not become longer than the next.
Piece 2: Tilting Boat
Most left-hand measures begin one dotted quarter on each large beat. In measure 7, the second left-hand beat divides into F3-G3-F3 eighth notes. The right hand alternates dotted quarters, three-note groups, and quarter-plus-eighth patterns. Give gentle weight to group openings while keeping all three parts equal. This is written compound meter, not long–short swing.
Leave about ten seconds between the two pieces. Release shoulder tension and speak a fresh count-in. Contrast should come from beat organization, not from making one piece fast and the other slow.
Level 3 checkpoint
Perform both complete eight-measure pieces: one in straight 4/4 and one in compound 6/8, without stopping for a small error.
- Maintain four quarter-note beats and even subdivisions throughout the 4/4 piece.
- Maintain two large beats divided into three in every 6/8 measure.
- Observe the full rests and sustain the syncopated E4-E4 tie without replaying it.
- Complete both passes, then record the measure number and one specific repair action.
Common mistakes
- Symptom: 6/8 sounds like three beats in 3/4. Correction: Take two broad steps and divide each into three.
- Symptom: A rest or tie contracts the 4/4 piece. Correction: Count through “2-and-3,” pressing on “and” and sustaining through 3.
- Symptom: A small error stops the performance. Correction: Continue to the ending; stop only during a repair pass.
Practice pack
1. Prepare
Read the meter and counting system for each piece. Mark beat openings, short groups, and shared hand entries.
2. Core drills
Practice each system, connect eight measures for each piece, and perform the two pieces consecutively with a brief reset.
3. Variations
Tap both complete pieces without pitch, assigning one thigh to each hand to verify coordination.
4. Self-check
Use all four checkpoint criteria and record evidence by measure number instead of writing only “uneven” or “good.”
5. 5-minute route
Spend two minutes on straight 4/4, two on 6/8, and one switching feels and evaluating.
6. 15-minute route
Analyze for three minutes, practice each piece for four, connect performances for two, and spend two repairing the weakest point and completing the rubric.
Frequently asked questions
Must the two pieces use the same tempo? No, but choose controlled tempos. Their main difference is beat grouping, not speed.
Can I pass with a few wrong pitches? Yes, if you maintain flow, recognize the errors, and form a repair plan. Repeated pulse loss still needs practice.
Should I use pedal for a fuller sound? Not yet. This checkpoint tests durations, rests, and coordination; pedal could hide inaccurate releases.
Level 3 is complete when
- You play all eight measures of both pieces without stopping for a small error.
- You clearly distinguish four beats divided in two or four from two large beats divided in three.
- Both hands enter together accurately, and a sustaining hand does not follow the moving hand.
- You complete the rubric with exact measure numbers and one repair step for the next pass.