Semibreve or Whole Note:
Pictured on the left is a semibreve or whole note. In North America, the word semibreve is seldom used but it is good to know both names. A semibreve or whole note lasts for four, 4, counts/beats. Note that these 4 beats are even beats!
It looks kinda like a drawing of a chicken egg placed on its side (that's what my music teacher used to say!). My teacher also emphasised that it must be drawn following the steps 'half above, half below.'
It looks kinda like a drawing of a chicken egg placed on its side (that's what my music teacher used to say!). My teacher also emphasised that it must be drawn following the steps 'half above, half below.'
Minim or Half Note
Here we have a half note, which, as you might have guessed, lasts for two, 2, beats. Again, one seldom hears a half note referred to as a minim note in North America. The half note is just a whole note with a stem attached to it. The stem may either go up (on the right) or go down (on the left).
The steps in drawing this note, as taught by my teacher, are: 'half above, half below, stem.'
The steps in drawing this note, as taught by my teacher, are: 'half above, half below, stem.'
Crotchet or Quarter Note
A crotchet, or quarter note, is exactly like a half note, except the note head is completely shaded. A quarter note lasts for one, 1, beat. Again, the stem may go either up (on the right) or go down (on the left). To draw a quarter note, you must first draw a half note and simply shade in the note head.
Quaver or Eighth Note
On the left is an eighth note or quaver. As you may have guessed, its value is half that of a quarter note, so it lasts for half a beat. You would notice that the quaver note has a flag drawn from its stem (which may go either up or down).
NB!
Pictured to the left are two quavers joined together. This is how they are most commonly seen if they come one after the other. There are instances where there can be three or ever four quavers right next to each other. Depending on the time signature, they can all be joined together. More on this later.
Semiquaver or Sixteenth Note
The note with the smallest value (at this level) is the sixteenth note. It lasts for one quarter of a beat. It's just like the eighth note above, but has an additional flag (total of two). When people picture music notes, I imagine that this is the note they most commonly picture.
Below is a review of all the notes.
Below is a review of all the notes.
NB!
Two semiquavers may be joined together like what you see on the left. It is not uncommon to see three or more joined together also.
Lets review what we've learnt:
On the left is a nice breakdown of all the notes presented above.
Semibreve/ Whole note: 4 beats
Minim/ Half note: 2 beats
Crotchet/ Quarter note: 1 beat
Quaver/ Eighth note: 1/2 beat
Semiquaver/ Sixteenth note: 1/4 beat
* Throughout the lessons, I refer to notes by either of the two names given above.
Semibreve/ Whole note: 4 beats
Minim/ Half note: 2 beats
Crotchet/ Quarter note: 1 beat
Quaver/ Eighth note: 1/2 beat
Semiquaver/ Sixteenth note: 1/4 beat
* Throughout the lessons, I refer to notes by either of the two names given above.
Test yourself...
Think you're ready to move on? Why don't you download the pdf below, print it out and answer the questions! This file is also available in the 'Useful Resources' Tab.
test_1-_notes.pdf | |
File Size: | 97 kb |
File Type: |