Quarter note = 1 account
A black is all black with a stem that goes up or down. I call it our “step by step” note because the note just 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 math go together.
Half note = 2 beats
A half note is all white with a stem on it. Playing this type of note would pause, as if you were coming to a yellow traffic light. You would play a half note, counting 1 and 2 and. With 4/4 time, you would have 2 half notes in a bar to play because 2 + 2 = 4. Remember that music and math go hand in hand!
If you’re not sure what a measure is in written music, always remember that notes placed between bar lines are a measure. 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 dots (repeat sign)
The colon at the end of the piece is a repeat sign, meaning to play the song from the beginning. Sometimes my students ask, “Oh, do I have to?” The answer is “yes” because the composer intended that section of music to play again! Another way to look 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.
Complete classification = 4 counts
A whole note is also a white note, but it does not have a stem. I call it our donut note. Some of my students call it a “hamburger” note! When you see a full note, you need to hold down 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.
Half dotted 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 counts, 1 & 2 & 3 &.
Now, the cool thing is that each type of musical note has a corresponding rest. A rest sign means “no play” as a rest area. Sometimes it means getting 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 break
It looks like a black top hat. A half break gets 2 charges or quiet times. A half rest is found above the third line.
full rest
It looks like a backwards black top hat. All the rest hang below the fourth line. You get 4 beats or silent 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 measure. The bottom 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 bar
4 means Black gets a tempo.
practice instructions
1. Clap your hands and count the beat out loud.
2. Touch and say the name of the notes out loud.
3. Play and count the rhythm out loud.