3.2 How to Count Beats

Let's start with this example:

• The time signature tells you that there are 4 beats (quarter notes) per measure.
• In the first measure the whole note gets all the beats (1, 2, 3 and 4) because 1 whole note = 4 quarter notes, and there are a total of 4 quarter notes per measure.
• In the second measure, each half note gets 2 beats because 2 quarter notes = 1 half note.
• In the third measure, each quarter note gets its own beat because there are 4 quarter notes per measure (time sig).

 

The half note get the first 2 beats, and each quarter its own beat. This makes sense because the 4/4 time signature means there is 4 beats (quarter notes) per measure. 2 quarter notes + 1 half note (which is really 2 quarters) = 4 quarter notes, the total number of quarter notes for that measure (time sig).

 

Let's add in Eighth Notes

In this example there is something new. The + sign. It just means "and". If you said 1 + 2 + ... out loud it would sound like this:  1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and

Each eight note is 1/2 of a quarter note, therefore it takes 2 eighth notes to equal 1 quarter note.  For example, the 1 and the "and" are both half of one quarter note and together they form 1 quarter note.  From the time sig we know there are 4 quarters per measure.