Beginner Level: Note Values and Their Names

 

What are Note Values?

Note values tell you how long you should hold a note on a piano, or really any instrument. It tells you how long to sustain the note and how many beats it gets. A beat is another way of saying the amount of time to hold a note. Note values are also directly connected to rhythm. Rhythm is what keeps a song structured and making sense without letting the music get all jumbled and chaotic. Without rhythm, a song simply does not make sense! 

The Note Values and Their Names

Below is an explanation of each basic note, its value, and its name that I drew myself!

Eighth Notes

Eighth notes I included as a bonus because most of my students do not learn this until late level one or level 2. So, it's not quite beginner, but very close. To count an eighth note, you need to count with what I call "ands". Every other note (quarter, half note, dotted half, and whole) you can count without the ands. For example: one, two, three, four. As you would expect. For eighth notes, you would count a little differently because they do not get a full beat.

Let's say there are four eighth notes for a total of two beats. This is how you would count that: one and two and

When I write in the beats on sheet music for my students, I always write the ands as plus signs, so it would look more like this: 1 + 2 + . It's just easier that way! 

I hope you enjoyed this beginner lesson on note values and their names. Remember to practice!