Note values and rests

Every note and rest has a length measured in beats. British and Australian teachers say crotchet and minim, American teachers say quarter note and half note. They mean the same thing.

The chart

These counts assume the crotchet (quarter note) gets one beat, as in 4/4 time.

British / Australian	American	Beats	Rest lasts the same
Breve	Double whole note	8	Yes
Semibreve	Whole note	4	Yes
Minim	Half note	2	Yes
Crotchet	Quarter note	1	Yes
Quaver	Eighth note	½	Yes
Semiquaver	Sixteenth note	¼	Yes
Demisemiquaver	Thirty-second note	⅛	Yes
Hemidemisemiquaver	Sixty-fourth note	1/16	Yes

Dots and ties

A dot after a note adds half of that note’s length. A tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one longer sound.

Note	Length
Dotted minim (dotted half)	2 + 1 = 3 beats
Dotted crotchet (dotted quarter)	1 + ½ = 1½ beats
Dotted quaver (dotted eighth)	½ + ¼ = ¾ beat
Tied semibreve + crotchet	4 + 1 = 5 beats

Rests

Every note value has a matching rest of the same length. Rests count towards the total in a bar exactly like notes, which is why “forgetting the rests” is one of the most common mistakes in rhythm questions.

Practise it

Try the exercises complete the bar, add the time signature and add the bar lines. Mustud generates a new rhythm every time you tap, so you never run out of questions.

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