Note and Rest Values

The shape of a note shows how long it lasts. In 4/4 time (four crotchet beats in a bar), each value below fills exactly one bar:

The main note values (in 4/4)

• Semibreve — a hollow note-head with no stem — lasts 4 beats.
• Minim — a hollow note-head with a stem — lasts 2 beats.
• Crotchet — a filled note-head with a stem — lasts 1 beat.
• Quaver — a filled note-head with a stem and a tail — lasts ½ beat.

Every note has a matching rest — a silence of exactly the same length. A crotchet rest is one beat of silence, a minim rest two beats, and so on.

Dotted notes

A dot written after a note adds half of that note's value. So a dotted minim lasts 2 + 1 = 3 beats, and a dotted crotchet lasts 1 + ½ = 1½ beats.

Ties

A tie is a curved line joining two notes of the same pitch. You play one longer sound lasting both values added together — a minim tied to a crotchet lasts 2 + 1 = 3 beats.