Rhythm
Note values: how long each note lasts
A note's shape tells you how long it lasts. In 4/4 time a whole note lasts four beats, a half note two, a quarter note one, an eighth note half a beat and a sixteenth note a quarter of a beat. Each value is exactly half of the one before it.
Note values at a glance
| Name | Length in 4/4 | In one whole note |
|---|---|---|
| Whole note (semibreve) | 4 beats | 1 |
| Half note (minim) | 2 beats | 2 |
| Quarter note (crotchet) | 1 beat | 4 |
| Eighth note (quaver) | ½ beat | 8 |
| Sixteenth note (semiquaver) | ¼ beat | 16 |
Hear and tap each note value
Whole notes
One note held for all four beats.
Half notes
Two notes per bar, two beats each.
Quarter notes
One note on every beat.
Eighth notes
Two notes per beat: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &.
Sixteenth notes
Four notes per beat, at a slower tempo.
How to recognise each note
A whole note is an open oval with no stem. A half note is an open oval with a stem. A quarter note is a filled-in oval with a stem. An eighth note adds one flag to the stem, a sixteenth note two flags. When several eighth or sixteenth notes sit next to each other, their flags are joined into beams.
Each value halves the one before
One whole note lasts as long as two half notes, four quarter notes, eight eighth notes or sixteen sixteenth notes. That doubling is what lets you work out any rhythm: two eighth notes fill one beat, four sixteenth notes fill one beat.
Counting them
Count quarter notes on the numbers: 1 2 3 4. Eighth notes add "&" between the numbers: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. Sixteenth notes split each beat into four: 1 e & a 2 e & a. Counting out loud while you tap is the quickest way to lock rhythms in.