Note Values & Durations
Note values tell you how long each note is held. 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 — each value is exactly half the one before it.
Music note values chart
Each note has a matching rest of the same length. Beat counts assume a 4/4 time signature, where the quarter note gets one beat.
| Note | Symbol | Rest | Beats (in 4/4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note | 4 | ||
| Half note | 2 | ||
| Quarter note | 1 | ||
| Eighth note | ½ | ||
| Sixteenth note | ¼ | ||
| Thirty-second note | ⅛ |
How note values relate
Western rhythm is built on a simple rule: every note value is worth exactly half the value above it. A whole note splits into two half notes, a half note into two quarter notes, a quarter into two eighths, and so on down the ladder. Read the other way, two of any value always add up to the next longer one. Because the relationship is a clean 2:1 at every step, a single bar of 4/4 can be filled by one whole note, two half notes, four quarters, eight eighths, or sixteen sixteenths — all the same total length.
Dotted notes
A dot placed after a note increases its duration by half of the note's own value. So a dotted half note lasts three beats (2 + 1), a dotted quarter lasts one and a half beats (1 + ½), and a dotted eighth lasts three-quarters of a beat. Dotted rhythms are everywhere — the dotted-quarter-plus-eighth pattern drives countless melodies. A rare second dot adds half again of the first dot's value.
Ties
A tie is a curved line joining two notes of the same pitch, and it simply adds their durations together into one sustained sound. Ties let you write lengths a single symbol can't, such as holding a note across a bar line, or a five-beat note written as a whole note tied to a quarter.
Triplets
A triplet divides a beat into three equal parts instead of two. Three eighth-note triplets fill one quarter-note beat, so each is one-third of a beat rather than one-half. The group is marked with a small 3. Triplets are the most common example of a tuplet — the same idea produces quintuplets (five in a beat) and other irregular groupings.
How the time signature sets the beats
Beat counts here assume 4/4, where the lower 4 means the quarter note gets one beat and the upper 4 means four beats per bar. Change the bottom number and the counting shifts: in 2/2 (cut time) the half note is the beat, so a whole note is worth two beats, not four. The note values never change shape — the time signature just decides which one you count as the pulse. To feel these durations in your body, practice them against the free online metronome or drill reading patterns in the rhythm trainer.
Frequently asked questions
How many beats is a quarter note?
In 4/4 time a quarter note lasts one beat. It is the reference value from which the others are measured: two eighth notes or four sixteenth notes fit inside that same beat, while a half note holds for two beats and a whole note for four. In other time signatures the note that gets the beat can change.
What is a dotted note?
A dotted note is a note followed by a small dot that adds half of the note's original value. A dotted half note lasts three beats (2 + 1), a dotted quarter lasts one and a half beats (1 + ½), and a dotted eighth lasts three-quarters of a beat. A second dot would add half again on top of that.
What is a whole note?
A whole note, also called a semibreve, is the longest common note value. In 4/4 time it lasts four beats — a full bar. It is drawn as a hollow oval with no stem. Every smaller value is a fraction of it: a half note is half as long, a quarter note a quarter as long, and so on.
How do triplets work?
A triplet squeezes three equal notes into the time normally taken by two of the same value. An eighth-note triplet fits three eighths into one beat instead of two, so each triplet note is one-third of a beat. Triplets are marked with a small number 3 above or below the group.
Read rhythm on sight
Turn these note values into muscle memory with the free rhythm trainer.
Want tempo references too? See the tempo markings chart, or measure your own timing in Rhythm Challenge.