Note Values and Rests
Note values describe duration in relation to one another. A half note lasts twice as long as a quarter note; an eighth note lasts half as long. Rests use the same values to measure silence. Follow the interactive lesson below to learn more.
Hear note values against one pulse
In 4/4, a note value is a fraction of a bar, not a length in seconds.
What you just learned
- One bar
A whole note fills the bar
One hit lasts the whole bar. Add a hit exactly halfway and you get two half notes, each half as long.
1 whole = 2 halvesRead the full answer ↓ - Halve it
Halve it, double the notes
Quarter notes give one hit per beat, eighths two, sixteenths four. The bar and the tempo never change.
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +Read the full answer ↓ - Silence
A rest has a length too
Drop beat three and you hear a quarter rest. Drop beat four too, and two silent beats become one half rest.
1 · 2 · (3 · 4)Read the full answer ↓ - Silence
Tempo sets the seconds
The bar held still because the tempo stayed at 88 beats a minute. A note value is a fraction, the tempo sets its seconds.
♩ = 88 all lessonRead the full answer ↓ - Good to know
A dot adds half
A dot adds half the note's value. A dotted half note is a half plus a quarter, so three beats in 4/4.
dotted half = 2 + 1 beatsRead the full answer ↓ - Good to know
Triplets fit three into two
A triplet fits three equal notes into the time of two. An eighth-note triplet puts three even hits inside one beat.
3 in the time of 2Read the full answer ↓
Where to go from here
Every part of the lesson, answered in full
Open any question to read the full answer.
How do the basic note values relate?
The standard sequence is:
- Whole note: equal to two half notes
- Half note: equal to two quarter notes
- Quarter note: equal to two eighth notes
- Eighth note: equal to two sixteenth notes
- Sixteenth note: equal to two thirty-second notes
Each step divides the previous value by two. The names describe fractions of a whole note, not fixed numbers of seconds.
At the same tempo, four quarter notes occupy the same total duration as two half notes or one whole note.
Does a whole note always last four beats?
No. It lasts four quarter-note units, but the beat unit depends on meter and tempo notation.
In 4/4, the quarter note normally receives one beat. A whole note therefore fills four beats and a complete bar.
In 2/2, the half note receives one beat. A whole note lasts two beats, although its absolute written duration relative to quarter notes has not changed.
In 6/8, musicians often feel two main dotted-quarter beats per bar. An eighth note is one subdivision of those larger beats.
Always check the time signature and metronome marking before translating note values into counted beats.
How do rests work?
Every note value has a matching rest:
- Whole rest
- Half rest
- Quarter rest
- Eighth rest
- Sixteenth rest
A rest marks a measured span during which that part does not begin a note. The pulse and other musical parts continue.
In 4/4, a quarter rest normally occupies one beat and a half rest occupies two. Count through the silence instead of pausing your internal clock.
A whole rest has an additional convention: placed alone in a measure, it can indicate a full bar of rest regardless of the meter. Context and notation distinguish that use from an ordinary whole-note duration.
What does a dot do?
A dot after a note or rest adds half of the original value.
A dotted half note equals:
half note + quarter note
In 4/4, that normally lasts three quarter-note beats.
A dotted quarter equals:
quarter note + eighth note
In 6/8, the dotted quarter often acts as one main beat containing three eighth-note subdivisions.
A second dot adds half of the first dot's value. A double-dotted half note equals a half note plus a quarter note plus an eighth note.
What is the difference between a tie and a dot?
A tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one continuous duration. Play the first note and hold through the second without attacking it again.
A dot follows a fixed calculation: add half the original value. A tie can combine any written values and can cross a barline.
For example, a quarter note tied to an eighth note lasts as long as a dotted quarter. The tie may be clearer when the duration crosses a beat or measure boundary.
Good notation shows the meter's structure. Two mathematically equal durations can be written differently so the beat grouping remains visible.
What are triplets?
A triplet fits three equal notes into the time normally occupied by two notes of the same written value.
An eighth-note triplet places three equal attacks inside one quarter-note beat. The notes are marked with a 3, often under one beam.
Do not squeeze three ordinary eighth notes into a beat by guessing. Divide the beat evenly into three parts and keep the next main beat in its original place.
Triplets are one type of tuplet. Other numbers can divide a span into five, six, seven or other equal parts, but the written bracket and number always identify the intended division.
How do beams help you read?
Eighth notes and shorter values can be joined with beams. One beam usually indicates eighth notes; two indicate sixteenth notes.
Beaming often groups notes according to the meter. In 4/4, eighth notes are commonly beamed in beat-sized groups so you can see four main pulses.
In 6/8, six eighth notes are often beamed as two groups of three. The same note value is being used, but the beams reveal the two larger beats.
Read the beam groups before decoding every individual note. They show where the pulse and subdivisions fit.
How should you count subdivisions?
Choose the smallest regular subdivision present in the passage and keep it running.
For eighth notes in 4/4, count:
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and
For sixteenth notes, count:
1 e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4 e and a
A note begins on its written subdivision and continues for its full value. A rest occupies its subdivision without a sound.
Counting every subdivision can feel excessive in an easy bar. It becomes useful when syncopation, ties or mixed values make the attack points harder to predict.
Why do note values not have fixed durations?
Tempo determines real time. At quarter note = 60, each quarter-note beat lasts one second. At quarter note = 120, it lasts half a second.
The written relationship remains 2:1. A half note still lasts twice as long as a quarter note at either tempo.
This separation lets the same notation be performed slowly or quickly without rewriting every rhythm. Note values describe proportion; the metronome marking supplies speed.