Avishai Cohen’s “When I’m Falling”: find the next nine
The artist-published lead sheet for “When I’m Falling” uses 9/8. Start by feeling nine equal eighth-note spaces between bar starts. Then keep that span intact when some clicks disappear.
Counting nine is only the first step. The practical challenge is keeping the next downbeat predictable while a phrase takes your attention elsewhere. This lesson uses a neutral nine-pulse loop so you can establish that boundary before interpreting the lead sheet’s phrasing.
The count
Nine eighth-note cells, with only the first accented. No internal grouping is imposed. Say: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9.
Eighth-note pulses
Tap a block to change its accent. The full pattern repeats when it reaches the end.
Stopped
The lesson pattern is loaded. Press play, change the tempo, or tap a block to change its accent. Reset brings back the lesson setup.
Set it up in AnyBeat
- Enter 9 in Write a Pattern. Turn off any previously active second rhythm, and set View Rhythm Chart > Pulse value to eighth notes.
- Start at 60 BPM. Leave cell 1 accented and the remaining eight as normal beats. Each complete row is one nine-eighth-note practice bar.
- Save this neutral version before muting cells for the later exercise. This setup intentionally adds no 3+3+3 grouping; nine eighth notes alone do not specify the musical accent pattern.
Practise it in stages
Phase 1
Predict the boundary
Count nine evenly and tap only the first click. Use a short “sev” if saying “seven” makes you squeeze that pulse.
Move on when: The opening accent arrives where you expected it for four consecutive bars.
Phase 2
Give your hands a separate phrase
Play a short two-note idea of your own while continuing the count. Let it repeat across the bar boundary; do not add a tenth click to make the phrase fit.
Move on when: You can say “one” correctly even when your hands are between repetitions.
Phase 3
Leave space near the turn
Mute cells 8 and 9. Keep counting both silent pulses before the first accent returns. Then restore them and compare your timing.
Move on when: You neither rush nor wait for the returning first click.
Phase 4
Read and listen together
Open Cohen’s lead sheet and listen to the track on Two Roses. Track the bar starts in a short passage, then notice where its notes sit between those starts. Practise that passage separately at a comfortable tempo.
Move on when: You can distinguish the bar boundary from the phrase’s internal accents.
What this exercise leaves out
The demo teaches the length of a 9/8 bar. It does not assert an internal grouping, reproduce the melody, or provide a complete transcription of any recording. The published sheet and recording supply the musical phrasing.
Listen: Listen to “When I’m Falling”.
Sources: Avishai Cohen’s published When I’m Falling lead sheet; Two Roses: artist-hosted track player and credits.
Build the count. Then play it.
Start slowly, save the loop, and return to it when the group changes stop surprising you.
