A note value is how long a note lasts, measured in beats. Each value is half as long as the one before it. In 4/4 time a whole note lasts 4 beats, a half note 2, a quarter note 1, an eighth note ½ and a sixteenth note ¼.
By Dan Vrancic, music theory teacher · Reviewed October 2026
Rhythm starts with the beat
A note's position on the staff tells you which note to play. Its shape tells you how long to hold it. Rhythm is what happens when note lengths are combined, and every length is measured against a steady pulse called the beat.
Four steady beats. The beat numbers are written above the bar and under each note.
On this page the quarter note gets one beat and each bar holds four beats, as in 4/4 time. The relationships between the values never change; the time signature decides which value gets the beat.
The five note values
Note
Looks like
Beats in 4/4
Counted
Whole note
Open oval, no stem
4
1, held through 2 3 4
Half note
Open oval with a stem
2
1 and 3
Quarter note
Filled notehead with a stem
1
1 2 3 4
Eighth note
Filled notehead, stem and one flag
½
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Sixteenth note
Filled notehead, stem and two flags
¼
1 e + a 2 e + a …
4 beats
Whole note
2 beats each
Half notes
1 beat each
Quarter notes
Eighth and sixteenth notes
Shorter notes divide one beat into equal parts. An eighth note lasts half a beat. Two or more eighths side by side join their flags into a beam. Count the second half of each beat as “and,” written +.
Eighth notes: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +.
A sixteenth note lasts a quarter of a beat, so each beat splits into four: the beat number, e, + and a.
Sixteenth notes: 1 e + a, 2 e + a, 3 e + a, 4 e + a.
How note values fit together
One whole note lasts as long as two half notes, four quarter notes, eight eighth notes or sixteen sixteenth notes. Each step down the tree halves the length.
Every row fills the same four beats.
Dotted notes and ties
A dot after a note adds half of the note's value. A tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one longer sound: play the first and hold it through the second.
Dotted note
Value + dot
Beats
Dotted whole
4 + 2
6
Dotted half
2 + 1
3
Dotted quarter
1 + ½
1½
Dotted eighth
½ + ¼
¾
Tied
Half note + quarter note
Two notes joined by a tie: 2 + 1 = 3 beats.
Dotted
Dotted half note
One note with a dot: the same 3 beats, written more simply.
How to count a rhythm
Write the counts
Write 1 2 3 4 above the bar, or 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + when there are eighth notes.
Group them by length
Bracket the counts each note lasts: two beats for a half note, one for a quarter note.
Bring down the first
Write only the first count of each group under its note.
Counted 1, 2 +, 3, +. The dotted quarter lasts three eighths: 3 + 4.
Rests
Every note value has a matching rest, a silence of the same length: whole, half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth rests. Count through a rest exactly as you would a note, but don't play.
Try it: count the rhythm
Rhythm 1 of 6
Tap the counts where a note begins.
See it step by step
The interactive explainer from Lesson 2, with sound. Step through it at your own pace.
Practice on paper
Free printable worksheets on this topic, each with an answer key.
With the quarter note as the beat, as in 4/4 time: a whole note gets 4 beats, a half note 2, a quarter note 1, an eighth note ½ and a sixteenth note ¼.
How many eighth notes are in a quarter note?
Two. Each note value is half the one before it, so two eighth notes, or four sixteenth notes, last as long as one quarter note.
What does a dot after a note mean?
A dot adds half of the note’s value to it. A dotted half note lasts 2 + 1 = 3 beats, and a dotted quarter note lasts 1 + ½ = 1½ beats.
What is the difference between a tie and a dot?
A tie joins two written notes of the same pitch into one sound. A dot lengthens a single note by half its value. A half note tied to a quarter note and a dotted half note both last three beats.
How do you count eighth notes?
Say the beat number on the first half of each beat and “and” (written +) on the second: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +.
How do you count sixteenth notes?
Split each beat into four syllables: the beat number, e, + and a. A bar of sixteenths in 4/4 is counted 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a.
Is a whole note always four beats?
Only when the quarter note gets the beat, as in 4/4. In 2/2 (cut time) the half note gets the beat, so a whole note lasts two. The values always keep the same proportions to each other.
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Start with a steady beat, then watch each note value fill it, split it and stretch across it. The bar and its four beats never move; only the notes inside change.
Step 1 of 12
Four steady beats make this bar. Count along: 1 2 3 4.
The beat
Music runs on a steady beat
Rhythm is what happens when we combine note lengths, and every length is measured against a steady pulse called the beat. This bar holds four beats: count them out loud, evenly, like a clock.
Every note length is measured in beats.
Use the arrow keys while a story control is focused.
Read the story as text
Music runs on a steady beat
Rhythm is what happens when we combine note lengths, and every length is measured against a steady pulse called the beat. This bar holds four beats: count them out loud, evenly, like a clock.
A whole note fills all four beats
A whole note is an open oval with no stem, and it lasts four beats. To count it, write only the number it starts on, 1, then hold it through 2, 3 and 4.
Half notes split the bar in two
Add a stem and the note lasts half as long: two beats. Two half notes fill the bar, and you write only the beats they are played on, 1 and 3.
Quarter notes land on every beat
Fill in the notehead and the length halves again: each quarter note lasts one beat, so each lines up with a beat number. In this lesson the quarter note is the beat, as in 4/4 time (Lesson 3 explains time signatures).
Eighth notes split each beat in two
Add a flag and the length halves again, so two eighth notes fit in one beat; side by side, their flags join into a beam. Say the second half of each beat as “and”, written +.
Sixteenth notes split each beat in four
Two flags, or a double beam, halve the length once more: four sixteenth notes fit in one beat. Count the four parts 1 e + a: the beat number, “e”, the + you already know, and “a”.
Each value is half the one above it
One whole note lasts as long as two halves, four quarters, eight eighths or sixteen sixteenths. Dividing a longer value into shorter ones like this is called subdividing.
Count any rhythm in three moves
Write the beat numbers above the bar, then group them by the length of each note. Bring down only the first number of each group, so the counting line shows just the numbers you play on.
A tie adds two notes together
A tie is a curve joining two notes of the same pitch: play the first and hold it through the second. Group the beats of both notes together, so this half note tied to a quarter is one three-beat group.
A dot adds half the note’s value
A dot after a note adds half of its value: a dotted half lasts 2 + 1 = 3 beats, exactly as long as the tied notes. A dotted quarter lasts 1 + ½ = 1½ beats, and a dotted whole note lasts 6.
Count eighths with +
With two syllables per beat, a quarter note owns 1 + and each eighth owns one syllable. Hold the dotted quarter while you think three eighths (3 + 4), then play the eighth on the +.
Count it yourself
The beat grid is written above each bar. Tap the syllables where a note begins to bring them down, then check your counting and hear it played.
