Note reading · Staff
Note values
A note value is a duration, not a pitch. Whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and what a dot adds.
Note values
How to practise
- 01Hollow head with no stem is a whole note; hollow with a stem is a half.
- 02Filled head with a stem is a quarter; each flag or beam halves the value again.
- 03A dot adds half the value again: a dotted quarter is one and a half beats.
Common questions
Why is a whole note four beats?
In 4/4 a whole note fills the bar, so it lasts four beats. Other meters keep the proportions but change how many beats fit.
What does a dot add?
Half of the original value. A dotted quarter is 1 + 0.5 = 1.5 beats; a dotted half is 2 + 1 = 3 beats.
Why does a correct answer play a sound?
A symbol and a duration are two different things. Hearing it once tells you how long a quarter note actually lasts in a way the shape alone cannot.
Do note values change with the time signature?
The relationships stay the same; what changes is how many beats fit in a bar. A quarter note is one beat in 4/4 and still one beat in 3/4, but a whole note no longer fills the bar.