quarter note = 1 bead
A quarter note is all quarter note with a stem going up or down. I call it our “stepper” note because the note just takes steps and moves. With 4/4 time, you would have a measure of 4 quarter notes because a quarter note has 1 count. Remember that music and mathematics go together.
half note = 2 beats
A half note is all white with a stem on it. Playing this type of note would cause you to pause, as if you were coming to a yellow traffic light. You would play a half note, counting 1 and 2 and. With a 4/4 time signature, you would have 2 half notes in one bar to play because 2 + 2 = 4. Remember that music and math go hand in hand!
If you’re not sure what a time signature is in written music, always remember that notes placed between bar lines are a time signature. Barlines divide music into measures. When looking at a piece of music, go to the end of a song and there you will find a double bar line.
Repeat points (repeat sign)
The colon at the end of the piece is a repeat sign, which means playing the song from the beginning. Sometimes my students ask, “Oh, do I have to?” The answer is “yes” because the composer intended for that section of music to be played again! Another way of looking at it is that you won’t have any more pages to turn. Just replay the first page or maybe just repeat a few lines. The repeat sign is a very valuable sign indeed.
Full rank = 4 counts
A whole note is also a half note, but it does not have a stem. I call it our donut note. Some of my students call it a “burger” note! When you see a full note, you have to hold the note and count, 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. It’s like coming to a red light and coming to a complete stop.
Dotted half note = 3 beats
A period after a note adds half the value of the note. So now you have 2 + 1 = 3 beats. You hold down the note and count, 1 & 2 & 3 &.
Now the cool thing is that each type of musical note has a corresponding rest. A rest sign means “no play” like a rest area. Sometimes it means preparing your hand in position and moving up, but still don’t play a note, just rest! Examples of some remains are:
Rest room
It looks like a “Z” and a quarter break gets 1 count.
half rest
It looks like a black top hat. A half rest gets 2 counts or quiet times. A half rest is located above the third line.
full rest
It looks like a black top hat turned upside down. All the rest hang below the fourth line. You get 4 beats or quiet times.
Each bar in 4/4 time has notes and rests that add up to 4 beats.
Time signature
The measure is the two numbers written at the beginning of a piece. The top number indicates how many beats are in each bar. The lower number indicates what type of note a beat receives.
2 means two beats in each measure
4 means Black gets a tempo or count.
3 means three beats in each measure.
4 means Black gets a tempo.
4 means four beats in each measure
4 means Black gets a tempo.
practice instructions
1. Clap your hands and count the rhythm out loud.
2. Touch and say the name of the notes out loud.
3. Play and count the rhythm out loud.