The Dotted Quarter Note
A dot written after a quarter note means that the note lasts for one and a half counts. A dotted quarter note is often followed by an eighth note.
Here is a variation on the rhythm from the previous song. This one uses the right foot and the left hand.
The following rhythm sounds great when combined with the triangle and rhythm sticks. If playing with a teacher or friends you can take turns to play the different parts. This piece is called "percussion trio".
Trio means three parts or three people playing together. When you play a song with other people, usually only one of the parts is the main melody of the song. The other parts all help to make the whole song sound better. In any band or group, all of the parts are equally important.
A group is a bit like a car - the engine makes the car move, but if you took any of the wheels away it wouldn’t go anywhere, and if you took the steering wheel away it would be out of control.
One of the best things about playing with other people is that it can be like having a conversation. One part can be like a question and another part can be like an answer. At other times you might play things together.
To play with other people you need to work as a team so all the parts work together to make up the whole piece of music. The following song has parts for bongo drums and rhythm sticks. When two instruments are played together it is called a duet.
