Lesson 4: Rhythm

In this lesson, you will learn about: Note values Dotted notes Practice Opportunity Rests Time signatures Practice Opportunity Tempo and Dynamic markings These concepts will help you understand rhythmic notations and will help you determine the relative length of each note that appears in the music.	Note Values When you see a note in the music, how do you know how long that note should last? To answer that question, music uses fractions. The basic note, a whole note, can be divided into quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, etc.
	Oftentimes, a whole note gets 4 counts or beats. When this is the case: A half note gets two counts. A quarter note gets one count. An eighth note gets half a count. Stems and tails are added to indicate the type of note, as shown in the diagram and sample staff below. How do musicians count the beats?
	Note Values

Sample Staff with Note Values Note how the appearance of the tails may vary, depending on how they are connected to the other notes.

Listen Up! Sample Rhythm The recording plays the notes in the diagram at left. This recording is the same as above, except that a pulsing note has been added in the base clef to serve as a metronome.