Rhythm
Lesson 7 of 14 · Beginner · Beats, note lengths, measures and tempo.
The beat
Music has a steady pulse called the beat, like a clock ticking. It's what you tap your foot to.
Tempo is how fast the beats go, in beats per minute (bpm): 60 bpm is one beat a second, 120 bpm is two.
Note lengths
A note's shape says how many beats it lasts. A whole note, an open oval, lasts 4 beats. A half note, open with a stem, lasts 2.
A quarter note ♩, filled with a stem, lasts 1 beat. An eighth note ♪, with a flag, lasts half a beat. Two eighth notes are often joined by a beam.
Measures and time signatures
Music is split into measures (or bars) by short vertical lines. The time signature at the start, like 4/4, says what fills each measure.
The top number is how many beats; the bottom says which note gets one beat (4 means a quarter note). So in 4/4, four quarter notes fill a measure, and so do two half notes or one whole note.
Counting out loud
Count while you play: "1, 2, 3, 4", one number per beat. A half note is held through "1, 2"; a whole note through all four.
Eighth notes go two to a beat, so count "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and". The other common time signature, 3/4, counts "1, 2, 3": a waltz.
Practice
Count it out. These are about reading, so there are no keys to press.
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