Starter rhythms and melodies
20 rhythm patterns and 12 bells melodies, all written for this site, from first quarter notes to syncopation, 6/8 and four layered parts. Open one in the maker, change anything, and play along.
Rhythm patterns
First steps
Steady quarter notes and a half note to land on.
Rhythm:
Open First steps in the makerta ta ta ta | ta ta ta-a | ta ta ta ta | ta-a ta-aTi-ti walk
Pairs of eighth notes between steady quarters.
Rhythm:
Open Ti-ti walk in the makerta ti-ti ta ti-ti | ti-ti ti-ti ta ta | ta ti-ti ta ti-ti | ti-ti ta ta-aRest stop
Quarter rests in every place in the bar.
Rhythm:
Open Rest stop in the makerta ta rest ta | ti-ti ta rest ta | ta rest ti-ti ta | ta ta ta restTwo by two
Short bars of 2/4 with eighths and a half note.
Rhythm:
Open Two by two in the makerta ti-ti | ti-ti ta | ta ta | ta-a | ti-ti ti-ti | ta restWaltz steps
Feeling three beats: half plus quarter, and a dotted half.
Rhythm:
Open Waltz steps in the makerta-a ta | ta ti-ti ta | ta-a ta | ta-a-aEcho me
Call and response: the class echoes in the bars of rests.
Teacher:
Open Echo me in the makerta ta ti-ti ta | rest rest rest rest | ti-ti ta ta ta | rest rest rest restClass:rest rest rest rest | ta ta ti-ti ta | rest rest rest rest | ti-ti ta ta taLong and short
Half, dotted half and whole notes against eighths.
Rhythm:
Open Long and short in the makerta-a ti-ti ta | ta-a-a ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta-a | ta-a-a-aThree-beat clap
3/4 with eighths on different beats and a rest to finish.
Rhythm:
Open Three-beat clap in the makerta ta ta | ti-ti ta ta | ta ti-ti ta | ta-a restMarch time
Eight bars of 2/4 to march to.
Rhythm:
Open March time in the makerta ta | ti-ti ta | ta ti-ti | ta-a | ta ta | ti-ti ta | ti-ti ti-ti | ta restSixteenth rain
Groups of four sixteenths, then back to quarters.
Rhythm:
Open Sixteenth rain in the makertika-tika ta tika-tika ta | ti-ti tika-tika ta ta | tika-tika tika-tika ti-ti ta | ta ta ta-aTied over
Notes held across the bar line with a tie.
Rhythm:
Open Tied over in the makerta ta ta ta~ | ta ta-a ta | ti-ti ta ta ta~ | ta ta-a-aGallop
6/8: quarter and eighth gallops, three eighths and dotted quarters.
Rhythm:
Open Gallop in the makerta ti ta ti | ti-ti-ti ta-i | ta ti ta ti | ta-a-aRowing beat
Two big beats in a bar of 6/8.
Rhythm:
Open Rowing beat in the makerta-i ta-i | ta ti ta-i | ti-ti-ti ti-ti-ti | ta-a-aSyncopation corner
Eighth, quarter, eighth: the off-beat accent.
Rhythm:
Open Syncopation corner in the makersyn-co-pa ta ta | ta syn-co-pa ta | syn-co-pa syn-co-pa | ta ta ta-aDotted dance
Dotted eighth and sixteenth pairs.
Rhythm:
Open Dotted dance in the makertim-ka ta tim-ka ta | tim-ka tim-ka ta ta | ta tim-ka ta tim-ka | ta-a ta-aTi-tika train
Eighth and two sixteenths, and the turn-around.
Rhythm:
Open Ti-tika train in the makerti-tika ti-tika ta ta | tika-ti tika-ti ta ta | ti-tika tika-ti ti-ti ta | ta ta ta-aBody percussion
Two layers: claps over a steady drum.
Claps:
Open Body percussion in the makerta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ta ti-ti ta | ta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta restDrum:ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta restOstinato pair
Two short repeating patterns that fit together.
Woodblock:
Open Ostinato pair in the makerti-ti ta ti-ti ta | ti-ti ta ti-ti ta | ti-ti ta ti-ti ta | ti-ti ta ta-aDrum:ta rest ta rest | ta rest ta rest | ta rest ta rest | ta rest ta-aFour-layer groove
Four parts, each simple, layered into one groove.
Drum:
Open Four-layer groove in the makerta-a ta-a | ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta-aWoodblock:ta ta ta ta | ta ta ta ta | ta ta ta ta | ta ta ta-aClaps:rest ta rest ta | rest ta rest ta | rest ta rest ta | rest ta ta-aShakers:ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti | ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti | ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti | ti-ti ti-ti ta-aRound the room
Four groups come in one bar apart with the same pattern.
Group 1:
Open Round the room in the makerta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta ta | ta rest ta rest | ta-a-a-a | rest rest rest restGroup 2:rest rest rest rest | ta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta ta | ta rest ta rest | ta-a-a-aGroup 3:ta-a-a-a | rest rest rest rest | ta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta ta | ta rest ta restGroup 4:ta rest ta rest | ta-a-a-a | rest rest rest rest | ta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta ta
Melodies for bells and tubes
Every melody stays between C4 and C6 and prints as a colour chart in the convention you choose.
Three tubes
Only C, E and G: three players, one tube each.
Bells:
Open Three tubes in the makerC5/4 E5/4 G5/2 | G5/4 E5/4 C5/2 | E5/4 E5/4 G5/4 E5/4 | C5/1Bell tower
Skips up and down the C chord, with A and F as neighbours.
Bells:
Open Bell tower in the makerC5/4 E5/4 G5/4 E5/4 | D5/4 F5/4 A5/2 | G5/4 E5/4 C5/4 E5/4 | D5/2 C5/2Step up, step down
Five notes up by step and back again.
Bells:
Open Step up, step down in the makerC5/4 D5/4 E5/4 F5/4 | G5/2 G5/2 | F5/4 E5/4 D5/4 C5/4 | C5/1Pentatonic path
C, D, E, G and A only, with eighth notes.
Bells:
Open Pentatonic path in the makerC5/8 D5/8 E5/4 G5/4 E5/4 | A5/4 G5/4 E5/2 | D5/8 E5/8 G5/4 E5/4 D5/4 | C5/1Morning bells
Eight bars of 3/4 with a dotted half to end each phrase.
Bells:
Open Morning bells in the makerG4/4 C5/4 E5/4 | D5/2 C5/4 | A4/4 G4/4 E4/4 | G4/2. | G4/4 C5/4 E5/4 | G5/2 E5/4 | D5/4 E5/4 D5/4 | C5/2.Raindrop steps
2/4 with eighth-note pairs falling by step.
Bells:
Open Raindrop steps in the makerG5/8 E5/8 G5/8 E5/8 | D5/4 C5/4 | E5/8 E5/8 D5/8 D5/8 | C5/2Echo valley
A short figure played twice, then answered.
Bells:
Open Echo valley in the makerG4/4 A4/4 C5/2 | G4/4 A4/4 C5/2 | D5/4 C5/4 A4/4 G4/4 | A4/2 G4/2Little boat
A rocking 6/8 melody in dotted quarters.
Bells:
Open Little boat in the makerC5/4. E5/4. | G5/4 E5/8 C5/4. | D5/4. F5/4. | E5/4 D5/8 C5/4.Waltz of the bells
A falling 3/4 phrase and a jump up to G.
Bells:
Open Waltz of the bells in the makerE5/4 D5/4 C5/4 | G5/2 E5/4 | F5/4 E5/4 D5/4 | C5/2.Sharp turn
G, A and B with an F sharp leading back to G.
Bells:
Open Sharp turn in the makerG4/4 A4/4 B4/4 G4/4 | F#4/4 G4/4 A4/2 | B4/4 D5/4 C5/4 A4/4 | G4/1Lullaby lights
Long notes and a tie into the last bar.
Bells:
Open Lullaby lights in the makerE5/2. D5/4 | C5/2 G4/2 | A4/4 C5/4 E5/4 D5/4~ | D5/1Two-part chime
A tune over low bells: two groups, two parts.
Tune:
Open Two-part chime in the makerC5/2 E5/2 | D5/2 G5/2 | E5/4 D5/4 C5/2 | C5/1Low bells:C4/1 | G4/1 | C4/2 G4/2 | C4/1
Using the starters
Opening a starter makes a new board from it; your other boards are not touched. The text under each preview is the starter in the maker's own notation, so you can also copy it into a part. The rules behind the notation are on how it works.
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