One of the most important facets of music is timekeeping. Without a good internal clock, you will have limited ability to play with other musicians. As previously stated, music exists in time and space. Time refers to the pulse of the music, while space refers to the rhythmical components — notes and rests — that exist within a time span.

FIGURE 3-26: Swing Eighths

Most of the music you will play in this book exists inside a strict box of time. However, this is not true of all music. Classical, for example, is often played rubato, or without time. Rubato is also used by blues artists whose work revolves around storytelling or vocal narratives.

However, as a student of music, you should focus on timekeeping. If you don't, your understanding of rhythms will suffer. You will definitely sell yourself short if you practice out of time (rubato) or if you fail to count off before you play.

As previously stated, when you see four quarter notes, you should count the downbeats: 1, 2, 3, 4. Counting divisions and subdivisions is also helpful. For instance, you know that eighth notes are counted: 1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4 and. Sixteenth notes are counted using the syllables: 1, e, and, ah / 2, e, and, ah / 3, e, and, ah / 4, e, and, ah. See FIGURE 3-27.

No matter what, you must always count off before you begin playing. This applies to both beginners and professionals. A tempo must always be established in order to play music. Counting off solidifies the tempo and helps to avoid musical train wrecks.

FIGURE 3-27: Diatonic Intervals