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I.3Part I, The Signs of Notation
Relative Note Values
You'll discover how many of each note value fit into the others, and how to express each one as a fraction of a whole note.
7 min8 questionsDanhauser § 10 and 11
Let's put the note shapes in order: whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, 32nd and 64th. They follow a single rule: the whole note, the semibreve in British English, represents the longest duration, and each shape is worth half of the one before it, and therefore twice the one after it.
One whole note lasts as long as 2 half notes, 4 quarter notes, 8 eighth notes or 16 sixteenth notes, so each measure lasts exactly the same time.
The note value tree: each level divides the level above it in two.
Each row lasts exactly one whole note. Click a row to hear it over 4 metronome beats: each value is half of the one above.
The whole note, unit of value
Since it represents the longest duration, the whole note is treated as the unit of value. All the other shapes are fractions of it:
Shape
Fraction of a whole note
Half note
1/2 (one half)
Quarter note
1/4 (one quarter)
Eighth note
1/8 (one eighth)
Sixteenth note
1/16 (one sixteenth)
32nd note
1/32 (one thirty-second)
64th note
1/64 (one sixty-fourth)
The double whole note
A shape worth two whole notes is sometimes used. Danhauser calls it the square note, “note carrée” in French. In English, it's the double whole note, or breve in British English.
A double whole note (breve) equals two whole notes.
Exercisein the method's spirit
State how the half note, the eighth note and the 32nd note relate to the other note values.
Solution
The half note is half of a whole note. It's worth 2 quarter notes, 4 eighths, 8 sixteenths, 16 thirty-seconds or 32 sixty-fourths. The eighth note is half of a quarter note, a quarter of a half note and an eighth of a whole note. It's worth 2 sixteenths, 4 thirty-seconds or 8 sixty-fourths. The 32nd note is half of a sixteenth note, a quarter of an eighth note, an eighth of a quarter note, a sixteenth of a half note and a thirty-second of a whole note. It's worth 2 sixty-fourths.
You now know how long each note lasts compared with the others. In the next lesson, we'll see where notes are placed on the staff.
Check your understanding
8 questions
1.
How many eighth notes are in a half note?
2.
How many sixteenth notes are in a whole note?
3.
What fraction of a whole note is an eighth note?
4.
A quarter note equals how many 32nd notes?
5.
Which shape is worth 1/32 of a whole note?
6.
A double whole note (breve) is worth:
7.
Do these notes add up to the same total duration as a whole note?
8.
Why do we say note values are “relative”?
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