5

Note Values and

Basic Notation

In This Chapter

◆Grouping beats into measures

◆Understanding whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes and rests

◆Using dotted notes and ties

◆Dividing beats into triplets

Lesson 4, Track 27

Part 1 of this book covered how to work with pitch—but that’s only half of the
music theory that you need to know. In this chapter we’ll deal with the other
half of the equation, which is how you work with time—which, in music, is
called rhythm.

Rhythm is what drives the music forward and gives it its beat. To learn rhythm,
you have to learn about note values. This type of music notation isn’t that hard,
really. All you need to learn is a little basic math and how to count—up to four.

Before we start, however, let’s lay down some ground rules for this chapter.
While a lot of songs are written with four beats to a measure—one, two, three,
four—that isn’t a universal. Some very popular songs only have three beats to a
measure. (Think “My Favorite Things,” from The Sound of Music.) And other
tunes, especially in the jazz and classical genres, have morethan four beats per
measure.

To make it easier to learn the basics, in this chapter we’re only going to address
four-beat measures—what we call 4/4 time. All the other types of beats—three,
five, seven, whatever—will be covered in Chapter 6.

And that’swhy I said you only have to know how to count to four!

Chapter