The Quarter Note

The quarter note consists of a notehead and a stem. Like all note values,
the stem can point upwards or downwards, depending on the placement
of the note on the staff.

Recall from the introduction on time signatures that the top number in the
time signature indicates how many beats are in a measure, and the
bottom number indicates what note value is equal to one beat. In each of
these time signatures, the number 4 on the bottom tells us that the
quarter note is equal to one beat.

Here are three examples of quarter notes in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4

The numbers underneath the notes indicate each beat of the measure.
Since the quarter note is equal to one beat, each note will last for the
entire duration of that beat.
The Quarter Rest
Silence in music is represented by rests. The quarter rest is equal to the
same duration as the quarter note, but it looks very different.

When playing quarter notes that are followed by rests, make sure to
sustain the quarter note for the entire beat on which it occurs. For
example, in the rhythm below, you should cut off the quarter note at the
beginning of beat two.
The Tie
One way to create longer notes is with the tie. A tie is a line that
connects two or more notes that are the same pitch. The tie indicates that
we hold the notes together without re-articulating or restarting the
second note of the tie.

There are simpler ways to represent most tied notes, though. Here is a
list of note values and how long they are in relation to quarter notes.

The Half Note

The half note is equal to the length of two quarter notes tied together.
Therefore, when the quarter note is equal to one beat, the half note is
equal to two beats.
The Dotted Half Note
When a dot is added to the right side of a note, it means that half of that
note value is added to its length. In the case of the dotted half note, a
half note is tied to a quarter note. Another way to count the dotted half
note is to think of it as being equal to the length of three quarter notes
tied together. Therefore, when the quarter note is equal to one beat, the
half note is equal to three beats. Dotted half notes will never occur in 2/4
time because they have too many beats for a measure.

The Whole Note

The whole note is equal to the length of four quarter notes tied together.
Therefore, when the quarter note is equal to one beat, the whole note is
equal to four beats. Whole notes will never occur in 2/4 or 3/4 time
because they have too many beats for a measure in those time
signatures. Visually, the whole note is unique in that it does not have a
stem. The whole note consists of just a notehead.

The Half Rest

Just as a half note is equal to two quarter notes, a half rest is equal to
two quarter rests. On a one-line staff, the half rest sits on top of the line.
In a traditional five-line staff, the half rest sits on top of the middle line.
Some of the rhythm patterns in Lesson 1 of The Fundamentals of
Rhythm include rests that last for a few beats. However, two quarter rests
are more easily notated with a half rest. The dotted half rest is not very
common. Three quarter rests will usually be represented by a half rest
and a quarter rest instead.

The Whole Rest

The whole rest looks very similar to a half rest, but it sits just beneath a
staff line.

The whole rest is a unique symbol in music notation. Its length is

determined by the time signature in which it occurs. It indicates that the
entire measure should be silent. Therefore, in 2/4 time the whole rest is
equal to two beats:

In 3/4 time the whole rest is equal to three beats:

In 4/4 time the whole rest is equal to four beats:
Eighth notes that occur in groups of two or four are connected at the end
of each stem with a beam.

The eighth note is equal to half the length of a quarter note. Therefore, a
quarter note is equal to two eighth notes tied together. Here are
examples of the note values we have learned so far, and how many tied
eighth notes they equal.

One quarter note equals two tied eighth notes:

One half note equals four tied eighth notes:

One dotted half note equals six tied eighth notes:

One whole note equals eight tied eighth notes:

When we subdivide the beat into two equal parts, we call the second half
of each beat and. The word and is most easily abbreviated with the
+ sign.

Eighth Rests
Just as the eighth note is equal to half of a quarter note, the eighth
rest is equal to half of a quarter rest. It consists of one slanted line with a
flag attached at the top, as shown below.
When we clap and count rhythms that subdivide the beat, it is very
important to count every subdivision or and to make sure that we keep
a steady beat and perform the rhythms accurately. If you are practicing
music that includes eighth notes, always count and on the second half
of each beat, even in sections where there are no eighth notes.
When a dot is added to the right side of a note, it indicates that half of
that note value is added to its length. In that lesson, dots were added to
half notes, creating notes that are equal to the length of a half note tied
to a quarter note. When the quarter note is equal to one beat, the dotted
half note is equal to three beats.

In this lesson we will learn how to play dotted quarter notes. Following
the same principal that was introduced in Lesson 2, we can determine
that a dotted quarter note is equal to the length of a quarter note tied to
half of its value, which is an eighth note, as shown below:

Since there are two eighth notes in a quarter note we can subdivide the
rhythm further tying together three eighth notes:

When counting rhythms that involve dotted quarter notes, always

subdivide the beat and count every and to make sure that you play
each note value the correct length. To keep a steady beat, use
a metronome!

The example below demonstrates how to subdivide the beat to count

dotted quarter note rhythms accurately. Measures 2, 3, and 4 will all
sound the same.