In my classroom, I drew and cut out two objects that looked like toolboxes. One is called the rhythm toolbox, and the other is the melody toolbox.
I often tell students that they have two toolboxes at their sides, one for rhythm and the other for melody, to help them read, compose, and learn music.
The rhythm toolbox includes quarter, eighth, and sixteenth rhythmic durations with various rests, and the melody has solfege syllables.
But what do you call those rhythm syllables? I “grew up” as a classically trained flutist. I can remember as a young middle school student in flute lessons struggling to understand the 1-e-+-a system of subdividing rhythm–to the point of tears– so I am extremely empathetic around the topic, LOL!
As an elementary music teacher, though, I am a ta, ti-ti, tick-a-tick-a kind of girl.
But then a few years back, in a discussion with my middle school choral director colleague, I was introduced to the takadimi system, which to me bridged the 1-e-+-a to the elemental version of tick-a-tick-a. Takadimi made very logical sense to me, but it was going to take a lot of undoing for me in the classroom. I chose to do it very slowly, beginning with changing ti-ti to ta-di, and over the years, we went from there.
But it had me thinking about where the tick-a-tick-a system came from as well as the takadimi and what else was out there. What were other teachers’ reasons for using what they used? And let’s take recorder, for example, if “the way you say it is the way you play it,” a mantra, then was my system for rhythmic symbols helping or hurting student’s performance?
Awe….I sometimes get too heady on this stuff. Let’s move forward.
First, rhythm syllables were created to provide students with a more musical way to read rhythm. The goal is to move away from mathematical counting—which is, for sure, theoretical but can feel unmusical—while still conveying note durations and relationships. A rhythm syllable system assigns nonsense syllables or vocalized sounds to written notation and beat groupings, helping students internalize rhythmic patterns.
Thinking and “audiating” in rhythm syllables also aids in decoding rhythms by ear, making dictation, memorization, and performance more accessible. The widely accepted progression is for students to begin with a rhythm syllable system (such as Ta and Titi) before transitioning to a number-based counting system (1-e-&-a). Typically, rhythm syllables are used through third or fourth grade, though some students continue with them into middle or high school.
Eventually, most students in the U.S. adopted a mathematical counting approach based on strong beats and subdivisions. However, it remains unclear when or why this shift became the standard or whether numerical counting was intentionally made the ultimate goal.
Without sounding like a graduate thesis on rhythm systems for the elementary music room, I wanted to compare the system I struggled with as a young musician, 1-e-+-a, the system I feel most comfortable with, Kodaly, and the system that seems to bridge it all logically to me. I want to cite David Row’s blog article “Rhythm Syllable Systems: What To Use and Why,” published in May 2015. His compilation on the subject is the framework for the following information.
Bottom line: Whatever your choice, BE CONSISTENT, CONSISTENT, CONSISTENT!
Kodaly
Perhaps the most widespread rhythm syllable system in the U.S. originates from Kodály’s teachings, with “Ta” for quarter notes and “Ti-Ti” for eighth notes being widely used. Originally, sixteenth notes were “Tiri-Tiri,” but “Tika-Tika” is now common, possibly due to ease of articulation in English. This system assigns unique syllables to each note value, independent of the tactus, which some argue aids recognition but may obscure the underlying beat. It is often compared to the Gordon and Takadimi systems for its approach to rhythm and pulse.
Ta-ka-di-mi System
Takadimi is a rhythm system that adapts syllables from South Indian Carnatic music while focusing on Western tonal rhythm and meter. In this system, the beat is always “ta,” with divisions as “ta-di” and subdivisions as “ta-ka-di-mi,” emphasizing the tactus or macrobeat. Takadimi builds on prior systems, including Kodály and the 19th-century French Time-Names system, but differs by assigning syllables based on beat placement rather than fixed note values. Some argue that Kodály’s system is best suited for elementary education, whereas Takadimi is more adaptable. Experts Philip Tacka and Michael Houlahan suggest that Kodály himself would likely support Takadimi as a modern refinement of his approach.
1-e-&-a
Unlike European-influenced rhythm systems, many American music educators adopt a more mathematical approach using numerical counting. While traditional syllable-based methods have been widely used for over a century, rhythmic counting by numbers is the standard in U.S. secondary and instrumental music education. This system assigns numbers to macro beats (e.g., “1-2-3-4” in 4/4 time or “1-2-3-4-5-6” in 6/8 time), with subdivisions marked as “and” and further broken down into “e” and “a” (e.g., “1-e-and-a” for sixteenth notes).
As you can see, there are many rhythm syllable systems available, each serving the same fundamental purpose—teaching rhythm. No single system is universally superior; rather, the best choice depends on your teaching philosophy, context, and student population. While some may passionately debate the merits of one system over another, the reality is that students are highly adaptable.
The key is selecting a system that aligns with your goals and BE CONSISTENT, CONSISTENT, CONSISTENT!
Relic from my childhood….if you look closely enough, you can see some tear stains, LOL! I was terrible at rhythm until I found “tick-a-tick-a.”
