Keep the quarter-note pulse steady. Straight eighths divide each beat in two; eighth-note triplets divide the same beat in three. Both fill exactly one beat.
Straight eighths: two per beat
Anchor the numbered beats. Straight eighths place two equal attacks in each beat; eighth-note triplets place three.
Two equal eighth notes fill each quarter-note beat. Their onsets are 0 and 1/2 of the beat; the next beat begins at 1.
Triplets: three per beat
Hear two and three subdivisions against the same beat duration. The triplet bracket labels three equal parts; it is not a dotted long–short pair.
Three equal notes fill each quarter-note beat. Their onsets are 0, 1/3, and 2/3 of the beat; the next beat begins at 1.
Blocks show durations in quarter-note units. R marks a rest; > marks an accented attack. Numbers below each bar are quarter-note positions, which differ from the main beat in 6/8.
Check the idea: Three triplet eighths together occupy one quarter-note beat in this task.
Speak “1 and” for two parts or “1 trip let” for three. Count one whole beat before comparing the subdivisions.
Classify the subdivision in each bar. Keep the larger pulse fixed while comparing the number of attacks inside each beat.
Listen to a fresh example and count parts within one beat instead of relying on the total number of sounds in the excerpt.
Each session starts with two guided questions, then your chosen practice set, followed by two new questions at a different tempo. First answers, same-question retries, and the final check have separate results.
Begin this lesson80 quarter-note BPM · 4/4 · With guidance
Two equal notes per beat, Three equal notes per beat
Practice this level100 quarter-note BPM · 4/4 · Fewer hints
Two equal notes per beat, Three equal notes per beat
Practice this level120 quarter-note BPM · 4/4 · Fewer hints
Two equal notes per beat, Three equal notes per beat
Practice this levelThe teacher pack includes 10 fixed questions, replay controls, a student sheet, and a separate answer key. The printed key and downloaded JSON use the same questions.
Original synthesized audio · A4 = 440 Hz · mono, 48 kHz WAV.
These references explain the underlying definitions. The examples and practice sequences here are generated for Earstep.