Lesson 9: Note values

Lesson 9: Note values

by Tavia Zerman

Every note in music is counted for a certain number of beats.​

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The bottom number of the time signature decides how many beats each kind of note gets.​

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​When the bottom number of the time signature is 4, a quarter note gets ONE beat.

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​When the bottom number of the time signature is 4, a half note gets TWO beats.

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​When the bottom number of the time signature is 4, a whole note gets FOUR beats.

Counting whole notes in 4/4 time

• 4 beats

• Dashes show that beats are connected

• To pat, pat lap on beat 1 and hold there

Fill in the Blanks

Counting half notes in 4/4 time

• 2 beats

• Dashes to connect 2 beats only

• For patting, pat on beat 1 and hold on 2, pat again on 3 and hold on 4

Multiple Choice

Which is the correct counting for this example?

• 1-2-3-4  1-2-3-4

• 1 2 3 4  1 2 3 4

• 1-2 3-4  1-2 3-4

• 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4

Counting quarter notes in 4/4 time

• 1 beat

• NO DASHES! All notes get their own number

• To pat, pat on each number

Fill in the Blanks

​Counting example

• ​We will be doing a lot of counting exercises. Here are the rules for how to type the counting to get it right:

• ​Whenever you have a new note, type a space.

• ​Whenever you have a new measure, type TWO spaces.

• ​The answer for this one is 1-2-3-4 1-2 3-4 1-2-3-4 1-2 3-4

Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice

This example is missing the barlines! Where should the first one go?

• !

• @

• $

• %

• &

Multiple Choice

Where should the second barline go?

• !

• @

• $

• %

• &

Multiple Choice

Where does the third barline go? Remember, each measure needs to have four beats in it!

• !

• @

• $

• %

• &

Fill in the Blanks