Music Theory Lesson 1...
Note Values

In this lesson on music theory you will learn note values. Understanding rhythm, how pitches are placed in time, is essential in your development as a musician. Being able to play in time, is a least as important as what you play, if not more important.

Take a look at a clock with a second hand. You will see an example of time being divided into various units of measurement, the smallest of which is one second. This can be grouped into minutes, minutes into hours, etc. Notice also, that the second hand moves at a steady rate, never speeding up or slowing down.

Musical time is also divided into units of measure, of which the smallest is the beat. The beat can be thought of like the second hand on the clock. It is the consistent pulse of music, and should not speed up or slow down. Practicing with a metronome can help you get the feel for this.

To notate time in music, we draw notes on a staff. The vertical lines on the staff are called bar lines and divide the staff into sections called bars or measures. Each measure contains a certain number of beats determined by the time signature.

The time signature is made up of two numbers, one above the other. The top number tells how many beats are in a measure with 4 being the most common. The bottom number tells which of the note values receives one beat. This is almost always a quarter note, again shown by a 4.

In music theory, any number could be used as the top number. Any number representing one of the note values, 8(for the eight note), 16(for the sixteenth note), can be used for the bottom number. These do occur from time to time but are not that common. In fact, 4/4 is used so much that it is often referred to as common time. The duration of note values is most easily understood in relation to 4/4 time.

The relative time value or duration of notes depends on their shape. Take a look at the example below to see 4 different types of notes along with the note values.

Example1. Note Values

The half note lasts for 2 beats. It also consists of an empty oval but it has a stem attached. The stem can be place pointing up or down. This is determined by the placement of the note on the staff and on the type of music being written.

The quarter note lasts for one beat or count. It looks like a filled in half note.

The eight note receives one half of a beat. It divides the quarter note into two equal parts. It looks the same as a quarter not but has a flag attached to the stem. When 2, 3 or 4 eight notes are placed next to each other, they are connected by a beam. This makes them easier to read.

There are some other note values that you need to be aware of like the sixteenth note and the triplet. The sixteenth note divides the quarter note into 4 equal parts. The eight note triplet divides the quarter note into three equal parts. More discussion of these note values to come in a later lesson on music theory.

If you want a more in depth discussion of music theory, I recommend Harmony & Theory by Keith Wyatt and Carl Schroeder. It is published by Hal Leonard and is part of a series of books from Musicians Institute Press. All of the books I have seen in this series are excellent and I use them in my private lessons. They are available at Sheet Music Plus.

I sincerely hope that these lessons on music theory are of value to you. If you have any questions or comments about this lesson on note values or anything else please feel free to contact me.

That’s it for note values. See you in the next lesson.