Module 7b

HOW TO COUNT QUARTER, HALF, AND WHOLE NOTES

Why You Should Learn to Count
Learning to play rhythms properly requires counting the rhythms as you play them. Many players
are unwilling to count, thinking that they can just 'feel' the rhythm. This may work for some music,
but there are many downsides to just feeling the rhythm.

1. Players who don't count often skip rests or shorten longer note values.

2. Counting allows you to internalize the rhythm in a way that just 'feeling' the rhythm doesn't.
Certain parts of the beat feel different and counting often helps you develop a better
understanding of this than not counting.

3. Counting allows you to play with other musicians. It is easy to come in too early or late if you
aren't counting.

4. Counting helps you keep track of long periods of rest for your instrument. Some music you play
may have multiple measures where your instrument doesn't play. This can be difficult to keep
track of if you aren't counting.

5. There are rhythms that are far too complex to learn just by feel. Counting these rhythms allows
you to play them more easily.

6. Rhythm is one of the most important aspects of technique. Playing a rhythm even slightly wrong
can result in poor technique. Counting makes it less likely that you will play a rhythm incorrectly.

The Basics of Counting

Counting is done by associating numbers and words with each beat or part of a beat. For now,
you will only use numbers since the rhythms are fairly basic. The basic concept is to start on 'one'
for the first beat of the measure and count one additional number for each beat in that measure.
When you reach the last beat of the measure, start over with 'one' at the beginning of the next
measure.

Note that music doesn't always start on the first beat of the measure. This concept will be
explained later, but for now, you can always start counting on 'one' since none of the examples
will start on a beat other than the first beat.

Counting for several of the most common time signatures is explained in the section below. All of
these time signatures are simple time signatures. Keep in mind that a simple time signature has
two parts:

1. A top number that indicates how many beats are in the measure.
2. A bottom number that indicates what kind of note gets the beat.

4/4 Time

Number of beats: 4
Note that gets the beat: quarter note
Type of time signature: simple quadruple

How to Count in 4/4

Music in 4/4 time can be counted by counting 'one, two, three, four' with each number
corresponding to a quarter note beat. You should count even when a note is held for several beats
so that you can keep track of where you are in the measure.
A whole note is equal to four beats (or quarter notes) in 4/4 time. In other words, a full measure
of 4/4. If you recall what you learned about note values in the last lesson, you should be able to
divide each measure of 4/4 into smaller note values that are a division of the whole note. For
example, a half note is half the value of the whole note. This means that there are two half notes
in a measure of 4/4.

Here is an example of how counting works in 4/4:

3/4 Time

Number of beats: 3
Note that gets the beat: quarter note
Type of time signature: simple triple

How to Count in 3/4

Count 3/4 time by counting 'one, two, three' with each number corresponding to a beat. Here are
some examples of this:

2/4 Time
Number of beats: 2
Note that gets the beat: quarter note
Type of time signature: simple duple

How to Count in 2/4

Count 2/4 time by counting 'one, two'. Below is an example of this:

Strong and Weak Beats

Each time signature has strong beats and weak beats that occur in a certain pattern, with the first
beat of the measure generally being the strongest beat. These are more theoretical than practical
since they don't occur in all music. Here is an example of how strong and weak beats are arranged
in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4.

Strong and Weak Beats in 4/4

The pattern of strong and weak beats in 4/4 is: strongest, weak, strong, weak. Beat one is the
strongest beat in 4/4. Beats two and four are the weak beats and beat three is a strong beat, but
not as strong as beat one.
Strong and Weak Beats in 3/4
Strong and weak beats are arranged in the following pattern in 3/4: strong, weak, weak. This
pattern of strong and weak beats is commonly heard in waltzes.

Strong and Weak Beats in 2/4

The pattern of strong and weak beats in 2/4 is: strong, weak.

These patterns of strong and weak beats don't occur in all music. For example, the mazurka (a
Polish dance) is in 3/4 time, but the strong beats will occur on the second or third beat as a result
of accents. Rock music commonly emphasizes beats two and four instead of one and three in 4/4.

QUARTER, HALF, AND WHOLE RESTS

Rests are used to indicate a period of silence. Each note value has a rest that corresponds to that
value.

Quarter Rests
A quarter rest is used to indicate one beat of rest in time signatures like 4/4 where the quarter
note gets the beat. The symbol for quarter rests is shown below:

Rests should be counted just like notes. They have rhythmic value even though nothing is played
for the duration of the rest. Here is an example of how quarter rests are counted in 4/4:

Half Rests
A half rest is equivalent to two beats of rest in time signatures like 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4. It is indicated
by a small rectangle that rests on the third line of the staff:

Below is an example of counting half rests in 4/4:

Whole Rests
A whole rest is used in several different ways. It can be used to indicate four beats of rest in a
time signature like 4/4. When used like this, it is equal to four beats. The whole rest looks similar
to the half rest, but it hangs from the fourth line of the staff.

The whole rest is also used to indicate an entire measure of rest in time signatures other than 4/4
even when the number of beats is greater than or less than four. For example, the whole rest is
used in the following example to indicate a full measure of rest in 3 /4:

HOW TO COUNT DOTTED NOTES AND TIES

Dotted Notes
A dot placed next to a note increases that note's value by half. The dot is always placed to the
right of the note head as shown below:

The note above is known as a dotted half note. The value of of a dotted half note is three beats
because the half note is two beats and the dot adds one (half the value of the original note).

It is possible for a note to have more than one dot, although this occurs infrequently. Each dot
after the first one adds half the value of the dot before it. For example, adding a second dot to
the dotted half note adds half the value of the first dot. This results in a note that is three and a
half beats.

Counting Dotted Half Notes

Dotted half notes are equal to a full measure in 3/4. Here is an example of how they would be
counted:
A dotted half note is three beats in 4/4. Below is an example of how to count a passage with
dotted half notes:

Dotted Rests
Dots can also be added to rests. The dot affects the rest in the same way it affects a note by
adding half the value of the rest. However, dotted rests aren't used frequently in simple time
signatures. They are common in compound time signatures which you will learn about in a later
lesson.

Ties
A tie is a curved line between two of the same pitches that combines the rhythmic value of the
two notes. Below is an example of a tie combining a note from one measure with the first note of
the next measure:

Note that a tie can be used within the same measure or extend into the next measure as shown
above.

Don't confuse the tie with a slur. Both are curved lines, but the slur is generally used between
different pitches. You will occasionally see slurs between notes of the same pitch, but there is
generally other notation that indicates that the notes aren't tied.

Counting Tied Notes

Tied notes should be counted the same as notes that aren't tied. The only difference is that the
tied note isn't played again. Below is a passage in 4/4 with tied notes that demonstrates how to
count these rhythms:
COUNTING EIGHTH NOTES AND RESTS

Eighth Notes
An eighth note is indicated by a filled-in note-head with a stem. It also includes a beam or flag at
the end of the stem as shown below:

Subdividing with Eighth Notes

The eighth note is equal to half a beat in 4/4 time. This means that there are two eighth notes in
one quarter note. This applies to other simple time signatures, such as 2/4 and 3/4 that have the
quarter note as the beat. Remember that a time signature is simple if each beat is subdivided into
two parts. For 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4, the eighth note is that subdivision. Below is a example quarter
notes being subdivided:

Flags and Beams

Whether a beam or flag is used depends on several factors, including where the eighth notes
occur, who is writing the music, and how many eighth notes are present. Below are a couple of
guidelines for using beams and flags:
1. If there is a single eighth note followed by a note that is a quarter note or larger, a flag will
generally be used for the eighth note.
2. If two eighth notes occur on the same beat, they will usually be beamed.

How to Count Eighth Notes

Eighth notes can be counted by adding 'and' in between the numbers you already use to count
each beat. For example, eighth notes in 4/4 time would be counted 'one and two and three and
four and'. A plus sign (+) is used in place of the word 'and' in the examples. This is done to reduce
clutter in the musical examples.

Eighth Notes in 2/4

Eighth Notes in ¾

Eighth Notes in 4/4

Eighth Rests
An eighth rest is equal to an eighth note. The eighth rest is indicated by the following symbol:

As with other rests, the eighth rest should be counted even though nothing is played. Below is an
example of counting in a passage with eighth rests (note that '+' is used as a substitute for the
word 'and' to reduce clutter in the music):

Dotted Quarter Notes

A dotted quarter note is equal to one and a half beats (or three eighth notes) in 4/4 time. Below
is a dotted quarter note:

Review
A dot adds half the value of the note that precedes the dot.

Counting Dotted Quarter Notes

Counting dotted quarter notes requires keeping track of the eighth note pulse for at least some
beats due to the half beat in the dotted quarter.

Counting All Eighth Notes

One approach to counting dotted quarter notes is to count all of the eighth notes as shown below:

Counting the Smallest Subdivision

You can also count just the smallest subdivision for each beat. This means that for any quarter,
half, or whole notes, you would count just the beat and not the 'and' of the beat. Eighth notes
would be counted for any dotted quarter notes or eighth notes. This is shown below:
As shown above, it isn't necessary to always count the smallest subdivision if the rhythms are
mixed. For example, if the eighth note is the smallest note value, but there are a lot of quarter
notes and half notes, count the eighth notes when they occur, but just keep track of each beat
anywhere else.

Dotted quarter rests are also possible, although they occur less frequently in simple time
signatures than in compound time signatures.

COUNTING EIGHTH NOTE TRIPLETS AND RESTS

What is a Triplet?
A triplet is when three notes are played in the space of two notes of the same value. Therefore,
an eighth note triplet is when you play three eighth notes in the same amount of time as you
would normally play two eighth notes.

The eighth note triplet is notated by beaming three eighth notes together and placing a '3' above
the middle note:

You may also see a bracket along with the "3" as shown below:

These are just two different ways of notating the eighth note triplet. Which you see will depend
on the publisher or composer.

Brackets are also used when there are rests in the triplet to make it obvious that the rests are
part of the triplet.

A triplet is the simplest incarnation of a tuplet. A tuplet is a certain number of a note value spread
over the duration of a different number of the same note value. A triplet is three in the space of
two. There are many other kinds of tuplets besides triplets, some of which are quite complex.
These will be covered in later lessons.
 Counting Eighth Note Triplets
There are multiple ways of counting eighth note triplets. Below are four of the most common
approaches.

Count in Example Notes

4/4
 1 - trip - let, This is one of the most frequently used
methods for counting triplets. The
 2 - trip - let,
numbers allow you to keep track of the
 3 - trip - let, beat. This counting approach will be used
 4 - trip - let for all musical examples on this site.

 1 - la - li, "la li" is pronounced "lah lee." This method

of counting triplets is from the Eastman
 2 - la - li,
School. It is as good as the first approach
 3 - la - li, because it keeps track of the beats.
 4 - la - li

 1 and a, This approach is not as good as the first

two. Although it allows you to easily keep
 2 and a,
track of the beats, it might be somewhat
 3 and a, confusing once you start counting
 4 and a certain sixteenth note rhythms.

 trip - a - let, Counting "trip - a - let" is another fairly

common way of counting triplets.
 trip - a - let,
However, it doesn't keep track of the
 trip - a - let, beats.
 trip - a - let

Try each of these approaches for counting triplets and use the one that works best for you.

Quarter Notes in Eighth Note Triplets

Since there are three eighth notes in the triplet, it is possible to combine either the first two or
last two into a quarter note as in the examples below:

The quarter note is part of the triplet so its value is equal to two o f the eighth notes in the triplet
(2/3 of the beat) rather than a full beat like you would have with a regular quarter note.

Rests in Eighth Note Triplets

Eighth note triplets may include rests. The most common rests are eighth and quarter note rests.

Eighth Note Rests

The eighth rest in a triplet looks just like a regular eighth note rest except that it will be contained
within the brackets of the triplet:
Quarter Rests
The quarter rest looks like a regular quarter rest, but will be within the brackets of the triplet to
indicate that it is part of the triplet:

Switching between Eighth Notes and Eighth Note Triplets

Switching from playing eighth notes to eighth note triplets can be difficult at first. You should
practice each rhythm separately until you can easily play them before trying to play alternating
eighth notes and eighth note triplets.

HOW TO COUNT SIXTEENTH NOTES AND DOTTED EIGHTH NOTES

What is a Sixteenth Note?

A sixteenth note has two flags or beams:

Sixteenth notes are one fourth of a beat in 4/4 time. This means that there are four sixteenth
notes in a quarter note and two sixteenths in an eighth note.

Subdividing with Sixteenth Notes

The chart below illustrates the subdivision from quarter notes to sixteenth notes:
COUNTING SIXTEENTH NOTES

Counting Straight Sixteenth Notes

Straight sixteenth notes should be counted in 4/4 by saying, 'one e and a, two e and a, three e
and a, four e and a'.

Counting Mixed Rhythms with Sixteenth Notes

Sixteenth note rhythms mixed with other rhythms can be counted using the sixteenth note
subdivision (one e and a, etc.) or by counting just the smallest subdivision on each beat. For
example, the following passage includes quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes.

You can also count this passage by counting the smallest subdivision for each beat. For example,
if the smallest note value on a beat is an eighth note, you don't need to count anything smaller
than an eighth note for that beat. Below is the same passage again with the count changed to use
this approach:

Counting steady sixteenth notes does work, but it can be difficult at faster tempos. It is better to
get used to counting the smallest subdivision for each beat so that you aren't counting
unnecessarily.

Common Sixteenth Note Rhythms

There are several sixteenth note rhythms that you will encounter frequently. Many of these
rhythms can be counted several ways, both by counting each sixteenth note and by counting only
when a note occurs. You may want to start by counting every sixteenth to improve your rhythmic
accuracy at first. Once you are comfortable with each rhythm, you can omit the optional counts
shown in parentheses. These rhythms are discussed below.

Gallop
A gallop is an eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes. It is known as a gallop rhythm because
it resembles the sound of a horse galloping. These rhythms can be counted by counting 'one and
a, two and a, three and a, four and a' as in the example below:

If you currently count triplets using 'one and a, two and a, etc.', you may want to consider using
one of the other methods to avoid confusion with the count used for the gallop rhythm.
Reverse Gallop
The reverse gallop rhythm is a pattern of two sixteenth notes followed by an eighth note. It can
be counted by counting 'one e and, two e and, three e and, four e and' as shown below:

You can choose the approach that works best for you. Keep in mind that the more you count the
more difficult it is to count at faster tempos.

Sixteenth Eighth Sixteenth

The sixteenth - eighth - sixteenth rhythm is another common rhythm that mixes sixteenth notes
and eighth notes. This rhythm is generally counted by counting all of the sixteenth notes. However,
it is possible to omit the 'and' from the count.

The Dotted Eighth Note

A dotted eighth note is an eighth note with a dot after it. Since a dot adds half the value of the
note after which it appears, the dotted eighth note is equal to three sixteenth notes or 3/4 of a
beat in 4/4 time. Dotted eighth notes are frequently used with a sixteenth note to form a quarter
note beat in time signatures such as 4/4. There are two rhythm patterns possible when combining
the dotted eighth and a sixteenth note:

Dotted Eighth - Sixteenth Rhythm

This is the more common pattern involving dotted eighth notes and sixteenth notes. It can be
counted by counting all of the sixteenth notes or by counting only when there is a note as shown
below:

Sixteenth Note - Dotted Eighth Rhythm

This rhythm can be counted by counting all sixteenth notes or by counting 'one e, two e, etc.'
This is shown in the example below with the optional words enclosed in parentheses:
LESSON 28 –Treble Clef | Treble Clef Sight-Reading Exercise
LESSON 29 –Bass Clef | Bass Clef Sight-Reading Exercise
LESSON 30 –More Sight Reading Exercises
SOME MUSICAL TITBITS
What is the lowest note a person can sing?
The lowest vocal note produced by a male is G -7 (0.189 Hz) and was achieved by Tim Storms (USA) at City-walk
Studios in Branson, Missouri, USA, on 30 March 2012. Timothy is the bass singer for the vocal group 'Pierce Arrow'. The
attempt was witnesse d by two college music professors and an acoustician.

What is the highest note in music?

In vocal music, the term Soprano C, sometimes called High C or Top C, is the C two octaves above Middle C. It is so
named because it is considered the defining note of the soprano voice type. It is C 6 in scientific pitch notation (1046.502
Hz) and c''' in Helmholtz notation.

Who can sing the highest note in the world?

Fem ale v oice - Georgia Brown has a vocal range of eight octaves, extending from G2 to G10, as verified at Aqui Jazz
Atelier Music School in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 18 August 2004.

The highest note that she hit, the G10, is technically not a musical note but a frequency. The full range was verified by
music experts using a piano, violin and Hammond organ. Guinness World Records - Greatest vocal range, female

Male voice- Adam Lopez - Highest Vocal Note- Guinness World Record. The note is a D7, the last D on the piano.

What is the lowest vocal range?

The bass voice has the lowest tessitura of all the voices. The typical bass range lies between E2 (the second E below
middle C) to E4 (the E above middle C). In the lower and upper extremes of the bass voice, some basses can sing from
C2 (two octaves below middle C) to G4 (the G above middle C).

What is the highest note a human can hear?

Background. Humans hear frequencies from 20 Hz up to 20,000 Hz. As we get older, or exposed to loud sounds which
damage our ears (such as loud concerts), the upper limit decreases. This test helps you benchmark
the highest boundary of your system's frequency extension.

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I have no doubt in my heart that it has been so revealing going through the Modules, this being the last in the series.
God bless you all…..
Your choir servant…Albert Authority
Feel free to call or send me message on WhatsApp for any clarifications or further explanations on any aspect of the
modules taught.

I am also available to travel far and near to physically train, impart musical skills and facilitate variety of customised
music workshops / seminars / training programmes. I do this professionally as a musicologist (career practice) and I
am not restricted to any particular denomination or church affiliation in this regard, though I am a devoted member,
worker, leader and committed son in the ministry.
WhatsApp: (+234)8030684957; Call Line: 08022182598

Notes & References for further studies:

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