Note values and rests
Know the basic note lengths, whole to eighth, and their rests.
The beat tells you when the pulse happens. Note values tell you how long each note lasts, measured against that pulse.
Each value is half of the one before
Note values are relative: each one is half of the one before. In the most common case, a quarter note lasts one beat, so a half note lasts two and a whole note four. The English site uses the US names; the UK names are in the second column.
| Name | Also called | Beats (quarter note = 1) | Note | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| whole note | semibreve | 4 | ||
| half note | minim | 2 | ||
| quarter note | crotchet | 1 | ||
| eighth note | quaver | ½ | ||
| sixteenth note | semiquaver | ¼ |
The shape tells you the value: a whole note has an open head and no stem; a half note an open head with a stem; a quarter note a filled head with a stem. An eighth note adds one flag to the stem, and a sixteenth note two. Sixteenth notes are shown here for completeness and practised in Module 11.
Rests
Every note value has a matching rest: a silence of the same length.
- whole rest: a block hanging from a line;
- half rest: a block sitting on a line;
- quarter rest: a zig-zag;
- eighth rest: one flag-like hook;
- sixteenth rest: two hooks.
For a bassist, rests are as important as notes. Stopping a note at the right moment is part of the rhythm.
The value tree
Here is one 4/4 bar divided in smaller and smaller values. Every row fills the same bar, so notes of different rows that line up start at the same moment.
At 80 BPM, on the open A string, play one bar of each: whole notes (one note held for 4 beats), half notes (2 per bar), quarter notes (4 per bar). Count “1 2 3 4” aloud while you play.