Piano Guidance
Photo by Monstera Pexels Logo Photo: Monstera

What note gets 2 beats?

Half Note The Half Note gets 2 beats A half note is half the time of a whole note (like cutting the pizza in half). So a half note gets 2 beats. Two half notes last as long as one whole note. When counting, we count this 1,2.

What is the oldest recorded song?
What is the oldest recorded song?

1888: 'The Lost Chord' This is the earliest recording of music known to exist. In 1888 a recording of Arthur Sullivan's song 'The Lost Chord' was...

Read More »
Are any singers pitch Perfect?
Are any singers pitch Perfect?

' If you have perfect pitch – or 'absolute' pitch – you can sing or play any note on the spot, with no former guiding note. Only about one in...

Read More »

Music notation has two main parts. These are pitch and rhythm.

Pitch is how high or low a note is, and is notated by the position on the musical staff (the five lines). Rhythm is notated by the different note values. These tell us how long to hold each note, and how the notes related to each other in time. In this article, you’ll learn all about the music theory concepts of note duration and note values.

?

The Notes Values: Note Duration from Big to Small

We can think of note values as a pizza. We can cut it in half, then in half again. We can keep cutting each slice in half to make smaller and smaller pieces. And each slice has a direct proportion to the others.

Let’s start with the whole pie.

The Whole Note gets 4 beats

The whole note is a circle. In normal music notation, this will be a black circle with a white center. We can say that the center is empty. When we count this, we count 1,2,3,4. When we play it, we hold the note for 4 full beats at the chosen speed (tempo). Clapping and counting the music is useful in studying rhythm and learning new pieces of music.

The Half Note gets 2 beats

A half note is half the time of a whole note (like cutting the pizza in half). So a half note gets 2 beats. Two half notes last as long as one whole note. When counting, we count this 1,2. And we hold this note for the full two beats. Visually, we add a stem to the circle. This stem can either point up or down. Notes higher on the staff usually point the stem down, and vice versa. This keeps the music tidier on the page. But both stem directions are correct.

The Quarter Note gets 1 beat

What is the best instrument for beginners?
What is the best instrument for beginners?

The Best Instruments for Beginners Piano and Keyboard. Pianos and keyboards are part of their own category and a favorite for beginner musicians...

Read More »
Why are elephants afraid of mice?
Why are elephants afraid of mice?

According to some, elephants are afraid of mice, because they fear that mice will crawl up their trunks. This could cause irritation and blockage,...

Read More »

The quarter note gets one beat, or half of a half note. And four of these add up to the time of one whole note. We count these 1,1,1,1. Or we can count them by the placement in a measure of music. 1, 2, 3, 4. We hold each quarter note for one beat only. We can recognize a quarter note as a black (filled) notehead with a stem. The direction of the stem does not change the value of the note.

The Eighth Note gets 1/2 of a beat

The eighth note is half of a quarter note. Two eighths equal the duration of a quarter. We count a beat of eighth notes “1-and.” The note on a main beat in the music gets the number of that beat, and the next gets “and.” To notate eighths, we add a flag to a quarter note. And when we have more than one, we can tie the flags together (beams).

The Sixteenth Note gets 1/4 of a beat

Keeping in the same pattern as notes above, we again slice the previous note in half. 2 sixteenths make an eighth. 4 sixteenths make a quarter. 8 sixteenths make a half note. And 16 sixteenths make a whole note. Basic fractions. Sixteenths get two flags. And we count a beat of sixteenths as 1-e-&-a. “one-eee-and-ahh.”

32nds, 64ths, and beyond

We can continue to divide each note value in half to create 32nds, 64ths, 128ths, 256ths, and beyond to infinity. But we rarely see anything past a 64th (which is rare in itself). Usually, it would be easier to just double the written tempo (speed) of the music and write it using 8ths or 16ths.

And for each note value, we add another flag.

Many thanks to MusicTheory.net for some of the images above.

What is faster than Python list?
What is faster than Python list?

NumPy Arrays are faster than Python Lists because of the following reasons: An array is a collection of homogeneous data-types that are stored in...

Read More »
Who is the best smooth jazz songs ever?
Who is the best smooth jazz songs ever?

The Best Smooth Jazz Songs [Beginner's Guide] George Benson – Affirmation. ... Bob James – Since I Fell For You. ... Lonnie Liston Smith – Rainbows...

Read More »
Which instrument is best for kids?
Which instrument is best for kids?

Top 10 Instruments for Children to Learn to Play Music The Xylophone. Hand Percussion. Piano. Ukulele. Drums. Recorder. Violin. Guitar. More...

Read More »
Why do pianists type faster?
Why do pianists type faster?

Your fingers are moving in isolation (controlled by the forearm etc.), which is also true when playing the piano. When you are typing fast, your...

Read More »