Introduction to Musical Concepts C.W. Post Department of Music

Rhythm Notation

In our music system, musical time is measured in beats. Our notation system uses different note symbols to represent different beat values. Common notes symbols are:

Name Whole Half Quarter Eighth Sixteenth
Notes Whole Note Half Note Quarter Note Eighth Note Sixteenth Note
Rests Whole Note Rest Half Note Rest Quarter Note Rest Eighth Note Rest Sixteenth Note Rest
Typical Value 4 beats 2 beats 1 beat ½ beat ¼ beat

Each note is comprised of a notehead, the circular part of the note that can be open (whole and half notes) or closed (i.e. filled-in -- quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes). Half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes have vertical lines called stems which can go up on the right side of the note or down on the left side of the note.

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Meter
The grouping of beats into larger, regular patterns, notated as measures. In simple meters, such as duple, triple, and quadruple, each beat subdivides into two; in compound meters, such as sextuple, each beat divides into three.

Some examples of common meters:
Bullet Plain beats (No perceivable pattern)
Bullet Duple Meter (2 beat pattern)
Bullet Triple Meter (3 beat pattern)
Bullet Quadruple Meter (4 beat pattern)

Music Notation