Sixteenth Note (Semiquaver)
A sixteenth note is a filled notehead with two flags, or two beams when notes are grouped. Four sixteenths equal one quarter note.
- two flags or beams
- four per quarter
- semiquaver
How do you recognize a sixteenth note?
Look for two flags on a single note or two beams connecting a group. The British term is semiquaver. A lone note with one flag is an eighth note, twice as long.
How do you count four sixteenths?
In a quarter-note beat, say '1 e and a' evenly. The next beat starts on 2, regardless of how many of those four positions contain a note or rest. At a slow tempo, this is easier to feel than trying to squeeze four fast sounds into a vague space.
What does a sixteenth rest do?
It silences one of those four positions. For example, play on '1', rest on 'e', then play on 'and' and 'a'. Keep saying all four syllables so the gap lands in the correct place.
Do sixteenth notes make the tempo faster?
No. If the quarter pulse stays at 60 beats per minute, each beat still takes one second. Four sixteenths create four attacks during that second. Compare a bar of quarters with a bar of sixteenths while your foot keeps the same pulse.