Note values

The note value indicates the relative duration of a note or a rest within a piece of music.

The note values

  • A whole note  (1/1) lasts as long as two half notes  (1/2), or as long as four quarter notes (1/4), etc.
  • The same holds for rests. There are whole rests, half rests, quarter rests, etc.

Beams

  • Groups of eigths or smaller notes can be grouped using beams, replacing the flags.

Ties

  • Notes can be connected with ties in order to denote combined note durations. Two half notes connected with a tie are equivalent to a full note.

Dots

  • A dot increases the duration of a note by 50 percent. For example, a dotted half note has the duration of a half note plus a quarter note.

Triplets

  • A triplet indicates that a group of three notes of the same values should be played a bit faster. The duration of a triplet equals the duration of only two notes of the given value.

Supporting materials: