Note and Rest Durations

The last lesson was about pitch: which note to play. This one is about time: when to play a note and how long to hold it. The shape of a note tells you its duration, measured in beats, the steady pulse you tap your foot to.

The main note values

In common time (4/4), there are four beats in each bar. Every note value fits into that count. The key idea is simple: each note is worth half as long as the one before it.

• A whole note lasts 4 beats (the whole bar).
• A half note lasts 2 beats, so two of them fill a bar.
• A quarter note lasts 1 beat, the pulse itself.
• An eighth note lasts half a beat, so two fit inside one beat.

Feel the beat

Durations only make sense against a steady pulse, so start one below. Set the metronome going and count "1, 2, 3, 4" out loud. Clap once every four clicks (a whole note), then once every two (a half note), then on every click (a quarter note), then twice per click (eighth notes). Hearing it is worth more than reading about it.

Dotted notes

A small dot after a note adds half of that note's value again. So a dotted half note is worth 2 beats plus 1 more, giving 3 beats. A dotted quarter note is 1 beat plus half a beat, so 1½ beats. The dot is a quick way to lengthen a note without tying two notes together.

Rests: the sound of silence

Music also needs silence, and rests are how we write it. Every note value has a matching rest of the same length: a whole rest (4 beats of silence), a half rest (2 beats), a quarter rest (1 beat) and an eighth rest (half a beat). Rests are counted exactly like notes, so the pulse never stops even when you do.

Rhythm is just notes and rests sharing the same steady beat. Once you can count the pulse and fit each duration into it, you can read any rhythm on the page.