Tap four evenly spaced, gentle sounds on a suitable surface. Repeat them once. Now keep counting four places but leave the third sound out. The missing tap can become surprisingly noticeable because the earlier pattern taught your ear to expect it.
Keep the empty place in the count
Count “one, two, three, four” quietly and tap only on one, two and four. Do not rush from two to four to close the gap. The exercise changes the presence of a sound while trying to keep the overall pace similar.
Use a comfortable volume and a surface that will not be damaged. If tapping is inconvenient, imagine the sounds or mark four boxes on paper and point to each in turn.
Move the gap without adding a new sound
Try leaving out the first tap instead. Begin the count before making a sound so the empty opening has a place. Then compare the two versions: does one feel as though it hesitates, or as though it starts after something has already begun?
Those descriptions are your impressions, not fixed meanings assigned to silence. If you lose the count, restart more slowly rather than treating the exercise as a performance test.
Use the gap in a small composition
Repeat the full pattern twice, then the version with the third tap missing. Finish with one full pattern. You now have a tiny change that can be heard without introducing another instrument or a complicated melody.
Our exercise on moving emphasis inside a pattern offers a different variation. Compare the two choices: an absent sound and a quieter or stronger sound do not have to feel alike. Keep the version whose change you can describe most clearly.