NOTE AND REST LENGTHS
Even though most of these are covered in the lessons I thought it might be useful to put them on a separate page for easy reference at other times.
Also here I am giving the equivalent American notation to the English. The English is the first term and the American the second and then the length of the note.
For each note type I have given you exactly 4 bars worth in 4/4 time - that is 4 single beats worth in each bar, so 16 beats in all. Hopefully that will then help illustrate the relative differences in note length. For some of the notes where a single note looks different than when written in a group I have also given a single example of a higher and lower note - note the stem of the note goes up from the note in one and down from the note in the other but otherwise they are written the same.
Also here I am giving the equivalent American notation to the English. The English is the first term and the American the second and then the length of the note.
For each note type I have given you exactly 4 bars worth in 4/4 time - that is 4 single beats worth in each bar, so 16 beats in all. Hopefully that will then help illustrate the relative differences in note length. For some of the notes where a single note looks different than when written in a group I have also given a single example of a higher and lower note - note the stem of the note goes up from the note in one and down from the note in the other but otherwise they are written the same.
SEMI-BREVES / WHOLE NOTES = 4 BEATS
MINIMS / HALF NOTES = 2 BEATS
CROTCHETS / QUARTER NOTES = 1 BEAT
QUAVERS / EIGHTH NOTES = HALF A BEAT
SEMI-QUAVERS / SIXTEENTH NOTES = QUARTER OF A BEAT
DEMISEMIQUAVER / THIRTY-SECOND NOTE = A 16TH OF A BEAT
MULTIPLE BARS REST
This is an example of 4 bars rest followed by a bar of crotchets. If the music was to rest for a different number of bars just the number above the horizontal line would change the symbol remains the same.
ONE WHOLE BAR REST
This is an example of 4 bars of music each of which is a whole bar of rests.
MINIM / HALF NOTE / TWO BEATS REST
In this example each bar has two crotchets notes each worth one beat and a two beat rest.
CROTCHET / QUARTER NOTE / ONE BEAT REST
In this example the second and third beat of the first bar and the second and fourth beat of the second bar are examples of a single beats rest.
QUAVER / EIGHTH NOTE / HALF BEAT REST
This example is of one bar of music containing four beats. Each beat is comprised of one quaver note and one quaver rest.
SEMIQUAVER / SIXTEENTH NOTE / QUARTER BEAT REST
This example is of one bar of music of four beats. The first two beats each comprise two semiquaver notes followed by a semiquaver rest. The third and fourth beat are a minim rest.
DEMISEMIQUAVER / 32nd NOTE / ONE EIGHTH BEAT REST
In this example a demisemiquaver note is followed by a demisemiquaver rest four times, which comprises one beat, then the second beat is a single crotchet beat rest and the third and fourth beat are a minim rest.
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