Note value
The note value gives the duration of a tone. In notation it appears as the shape of the notehead, with or without stem, flags or beams. The seven most important values run from the whole note to the 64th note, each half as long as the one before.
The halving system
The note values are related in a simple way: a whole note lasts as long as two half notes, a half note as long as two quarter notes, a quarter note as long as two eighth notes and so on. Once you have understood that, the rest follows by itself. The shape and fill of the head determine the duration, the number of flags or beams shortens it further.
| Note value | Fraction | Beats in 4/4 | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note | 1/1 | 4 | the longest note value |
| Half note | 1/2 | 2 | half as long as a whole note |
| Quarter note | 1/4 | 1 | the basic beat of many songs |
| Eighth note | 1/8 | 1/2 | with a flag or beam |
| Sixteenth note | 1/16 | 1/4 | two beams |
| Thirty-second note | 1/32 | 1/8 | three beams |
| Sixty-fourth note | 1/64 | 1/16 | four beams |
The beat counts apply in 4/4, where the quarter note forms the beat. In another time signature it changes which note value forms one beat. Every note value has a rest of equal length.
Lengthening and dividing
Two tools extend the grid: a dot after the note lengthens it by half, so a quarter note becomes a dotted quarter note of one and a half beats. The triplet divides a beat into three equal parts instead of two. The symbol library also includes the duplet, the quintuplet and the breve (the double whole note).
Note values in the score
Two pieces show how note values appear side by side.
Piano
-
Wilder Reiter Robert Schumann, op. 68 No. 8 · piano · 1 page
6/8, six eighth notes in two groups of three. The melody consists mostly of eighth notes with staccato dots.
Guitar
-
Etüde Nr. 7 Matteo Carcassi, op. 60 No. 7 · guitar · 2 pages
The score consists mostly of sixteenth notes, with longer bass notes beneath. It shows well how the number of beams and the duration correspond.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up note value and tempo: The note value gives the duration in proportion, the tempo the speed of the beats.
- Taking dotted notes too short: The dot lengthens by half.
- Swallowing rests: Every note value has a rest of equal length.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
DurationQuarter noteWhole noteRestBar / measureTime signatureTempoTripletBeatSyncopation
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
← Back to the glossary