Lesson 18: Ties

Lesson 18: Ties

by Tavia Zerman

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​A curved line that connects two or more notes on the same line or space is called a tie.

​Think of a tie as a plus sign that adds the note values together...

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​So this note is held for 3 beats:

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​This one is held for 2 beats:

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​And this one is held for 4 beats:

​Here are some examples of ties with the counting written in...

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​Notice that when you have a tie, you add a dash!

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​You might wonder why ties are necessary?

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​In these examples here, you could just use a whole note or a dotted half note to get the same amount of time!

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​That's a good question!

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​And the answer is: when you have ties, you can join notes across a barline from one measure to another!

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​At the end of the first measure, you can't put a half note because that would make too many beats in the measure. But with a tie, you can make a note that is two beats long!

Fill in the Blanks

In 4/4 time, how many beats will this note get?

Fill in the Blanks

In 4/4 time, how many beats will this note get?

Fill in the Blanks

In 4/4 time, how many beats will this note get?

Fill in the Blanks

In 4/4 time, how many beats will this note get?

Fill in the Blanks

In 4/4 time, how many beats will this note get?

Fill in the Blanks

In 4/4 time, how many beats will this note get?

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​When we are typing counting with ties, we do NOT put spaces between measures if there is a tie across the barline.

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​Here is how I would type this example:

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​1-2 3-1 (2) 3 1 2-3-1 (2) (3) 1-2 3-1-2 3-1 2 3-1-2-3

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​So there is ALWAYS a space when there is a new note or rest. There are two spaces between measures if there is NOT a tie. When there is a tie, there is a dash and no spaces.

Fill in the Blanks

How would you write the counting for this?  Remember:  New note or rest = 1 space, new measure without a tie across the barline = 2 spaces, new measure WITH a tie across the barline = dash and no spaces.