Note values and rests
Music theory · Rhythm · Level 1 · 10 min
The shape of a note shows its duration. Each value is half of the previous one: a pyramid of halvings.
| Note (US / UK) | Looks like | Length (in quarter notes) | Matching rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note / semibreve | hollow head, no stem | 4 beats | whole rest (block hanging from line 4) |
| Half note / minim | hollow head + stem | 2 beats | half rest (block sitting on line 3) |
| Quarter note / crotchet | filled head + stem | 1 beat | quarter rest |
| Eighth note / quaver | quarter + 1 flag | ½ beat | eighth rest |
| Sixteenth note / semiquaver | quarter + 2 flags | ¼ beat | sixteenth rest |
And so on: thirty-second note (3 flags, ⅛ beat), sixty-fourth… 1 whole = 2 halves = 4 quarters = 8 eighths = 16 sixteenths. The American names are pure arithmetic, which makes them easy; the British names (still used in the UK, Ireland, Australia…) come from medieval notation.
M:4/4 L:1/4 Q:1/4=80 K:C B4 | B2 B2 | B B B B | B/B/ B/B/ B/B/ B/B/ |] w: whole half half quarter quarter quarter quarter 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and
Tap this rhythm while counting "1, 2, 3, 4"; the tapper below checks your accuracy.
Rests
A rest is not an absence of music: it is a measured duration during which you don't play while the pulse goes on. It counts just as much as the notes.
M:4/4 L:1/4 Q:1/4=80 K:C z4 | z2 B2 | z B z B | z/B/ z/B/ B z |]
Whole rest or half rest? The whole rest (4 beats, "heavy") hangs below the line like a heavy object; the half rest (2 beats, "light") sits on the line like a hat. Also note: the whole rest is used for a full bar of silence in any time signature (even 3/4).
Common mistake: lifting the hands too early before a rest, or cutting a half note after a beat and a half. Count the end of long notes out loud: "1-2", "1-2-3-4".