This book is for you if:

• You have completed THE RHYTHM BOOK—Beginning Notation and Sight-Reading and THE RHYTHM BOOK— Intermediate Notation and Sight-Reading; or you have enough command of rhythmic notation that it is not an obstacle.

• You want to learn rhythmic concepts and practices and how to apply them in performance.

• You are any age, an adult or young learner.

• You are a vocalist, or play any instrument (including horns, piano, guitar, bass, strings — NOT just drums and percussion instruments!). This book, and the following ones in the series, are unusual in showing how rhythmic ideas connect to harmony and song form.

• You are taking music classes, studying with a private instructor, or are teaching yourself.

• You are a music teacher, who wants to teach rhythmic ideas to your students.

• You compose or would like to compose music, or write arrangements for others, and would like to incorporate rhythmic development, and greater awareness of rhythmic styles and interaction in 4/4.

• You play or want to play any style of music. This book has somewhat of an orientation towards jazz and contemporary music (funk, pop, rock, hip-hop, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, modern classical) and includes the syncopation found in these styles of music and the swing feel of jazz. If you are an aspiring musician in a different style (e.g. folk, singer-songwriter, pre-20th century classical), you can learn what you need to know about rhythm, but the book includes some “extra” rhythmic things not usually found in your style of music.

Please note: once you have completed this book, you will be ready for the next book in THE RHYTHM BOOK series: THE RHYTHM BOOK—Crossrhythms on 4/4. From there, you can proceed to two other books in the series: THE RHYTHM BOOK—Odd Meters and Changing Meters; and THE RHYTHM BOOK—Superimposition and Subdivision, Metric Modulation, Feel Modulation and Displacement.