The Notes

Let’s go over basic music notation before we go any further.

At the beginning of the first bar is the time signature, e.g., 4/4, 3/4 or whatever is there. This lets you know how many beats are in a bar; 4/4 lets you know the bar has 4 beats, 3/4 lets you know the bar has three beats, etc.

Each note shows you a value, and that value tells you how long to hold the note.

Above the first bar is a quarter note, an equal sign and a number. The number lets you know what the tempo of the piece is. A higher number means a faster tempo. This is open to interpretation and you can play the piece at the tempo you decide is best.

As shown in the above diagram;

• A whole note lasts four beats
• A half note lasts two beats
• A quarter note lasts one beat
• An eighth note lasts half a beat
• A sixteenth note lasts a quarter of a beat

The four beats in a bar can include any combination of half, quarter, or sixteenth notes. A whole note takes up an entire bar in 4/4 time.

The diagram above shows a time signature of 3/4 time. As you can see, whole notes are not possible because they last four beats. Bars can include any combination of half, quarter, or sixteenth notes.