I’ve heard it said that with rhythm, “you either have it or you don’t.” I disagree with this statement and will explain why. Our hearts beat regularly. Rhythm comes naturally from within; It is felt, and that is why I personally find it a bit challenging to teach rhythm. That said, our sense of rhythm can be developed. Rhythm in music can be learned and improved by practice.

Playing along with your favorite songs is a great way to pick up different rhythms. Just count along: 1, 2, 3, 4. You could also practice with a metronome, if you have one. It can help train you to keep a steady beat.

In this video, I go over five basic rhythm patterns that can be applied to almost any instrument and style of music. They are the basic whole-half-quarter-eighth-sixteenth rhythms. Simply clapping a steady beat or tapping with your foot is a great way to learn rhythms. In the video I clap the beat and sing each rhythm on “da.”

For the melody, I create a faster rhythm against the basic rhythms. Then I take two of the basic rhythms and apply it to piano chords. Basically, I am playing the basic rhythms on the piano while at the same time singing more creative, expressive rhythms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd2Nz0b1dg