At Grade 2 you learn two shorter note values and how to make notes longer with dots and ties. These give you far more rhythms to read and write.
The semiquaver
A semiquaver is worth half a quaver. That means four semiquavers equal one crotchet, and two semiquavers equal one quaver. A single semiquaver has a filled note head with a stem and two tails (or, when joined to others, a double beam). Its silence is the semiquaver rest, which looks like a quaver rest but with two hooks instead of one.
A useful chain of values: one crotchet = two quavers = four semiquavers. Learning these links helps you swap between note values quickly.
Dotted notes
A dot placed after a note makes it longer by adding half its own value again. So the dot is always worth half of the note it follows.
- Dotted crotchet = crotchet + quaver = one and a half crotchet beats.
- Dotted minim = minim + crotchet = three crotchet beats.
- Dotted quaver = quaver + semiquaver.
A dotted quaver is often paired with a semiquaver to make a common bouncy rhythm. Together they add up to one crotchet beat.
Ties
A tie is a curved line joining two notes of the same pitch. It joins their values into one longer sound, and the second note is not played separately. Ties are useful for making a note last longer than a single value allows, or for holding a sound across a bar line.
Be careful not to confuse a tie with a slur. A slur is also a curved line, but it joins notes of different pitches and means play them smoothly (legato). A tie always joins two notes that are exactly the same pitch, one straight after the other. When you count the length of tied notes, simply add their values together to find how long the single sound lasts.
Remember
- Four semiquavers = one crotchet; two semiquavers = one quaver.
- A dot adds half the value of the note before it.
- Dotted crotchet = 1½ crotchet beats; dotted minim = 3 crotchet beats.
- A tie joins same-pitch notes into one sound; a slur joins different pitches smoothly.