Note values chart
A free note values chart to print: whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes with their rests and beats, plus a page that shows how the notes fit together.
A note value is how long a note lasts. The shape of the note shows it. Page one lists the five note values a beginner meets first, the rest that matches each one, and how many beats each lasts. Page two shows how the notes fit inside four beats.
How to use it
Keep page one in the practice notebook. When your child stops at a note in a piece, find its shape on the chart and count its beats out loud. The British names are there for families who use ABRSM books.
Use page two for clapping. Count "one, two, three, four" at a slow, steady speed while your child claps one row. Then swap. Each row lasts the same four beats, so the lower rows need quicker claps.
Only the sheet below prints. It fits letter and A4 paper. For a clean page, turn off headers and footers in the print window.
Note values
How long each note lasts when a quarter note gets one beat.
| Note | Name | How long | What it looks like | Its rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole noteBritish name: semibreve | 4 beats | An open oval with no stem | ||
| Half noteBritish name: minim | 2 beats | An open oval with a stem | ||
| Quarter noteBritish name: crotchet | 1 beat | A filled oval with a stem | ||
| Eighth noteBritish name: quaver | Half a beat | A filled oval with a stem and one flag | ||
| Sixteenth noteBritish name: semiquaver | A quarter of a beat | A filled oval with a stem and two flags |
Dotted notes
A dot after a note makes it longer by half of its own value.
Dotted half note3 beats
Two beats, plus one
Dotted quarter note1 and a half beats
One beat, plus half a beat
Note values chart, page 1kidsclassicalmusic.com
How the notes fit together
Every row lasts four beats. Each note is half as long as the one in the row above it.
Count
1 whole note
2 half notes
4 quarter notes
8 eighth notes
16 sixteenth notes
Try it
- Clap one row while someone counts one, two, three, four.
- Clap the rows from top to bottom without a stop.
- Clap any row. Can someone else point to the row they heard?
- Find one of each note in a piece of music.
Note values chart, page 2kidsclassicalmusic.com
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