Hi there! Today we will explore the wonderful world of music beats and notes.
Music has a heartbeat called a beat. We count beats in groups, like four beats in a measure. This is called 4/4 meter.
A whole note looks like an empty circle. It is very long and gets four full beats. A whole rest is a silent block that also lasts for four beats.
Sixteenth notes are super fast! We group four of them together with a double line on top. All four notes fit into just one single beat.
✏️ Worked example
Let's count a rhythm in a 4/4 meter. The measure has: one whole note, and then a second measure with four sixteenth notes and three quarter notes. How do we count these beats?
First, look at the first measure. It has a whole note.
A whole note gets four full beats. We tap and count: '1, 2, 3, 4'.
Next, look at the second measure. It starts with four sixteenth notes.
These four fast notes share beat 1. We say: '1-e-and-a' very quickly.
Finally, count the three quarter notes left in the measure. Each gets one beat.
We count them as beats '2, 3, 4'. You successfully read the whole pattern!
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