Note Values and Rhythm Explained: Chart, Counting and Rhythm Builder

Note values tell you how long each note lasts. In 4/4 time a semibreve lasts 4 beats, a minim 2, a crotchet 1, a quaver ½ and a semiquaver ¼: each is half the one before. A dot adds half the value again (a dotted minim is 3 beats), and a triplet fits three notes into the time of two.

Updated 1 November 2026 · By the Classfern Music Department

UKUSWorks in the UK and the US. This version uses UK words and school years (bar, stave, crotchet, KS2, Year 4); the US version uses measure, staff, quarter note and grades. · US version of this page

Kids’ mode: bigger buttons and text (shared with the other music pages)

Key facts

• Semibreve 4 beats, minim 2, crotchet 1, quaver ½, semiquaver ¼ (in 4/4 time).
• Each value is half the one before it, so 1 semibreve = 2 minims = 4 crotchets = 8 quavers = 16 semiquavers.
• A dot adds half the value again: dotted minim = 3 beats, dotted crotchet = 1½.
• A tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one longer sound.
• A triplet squeezes three notes into the time of two. Every note value has a matching rest of the same length.

Note values chart

Each “Hear it” button counts in four beats, then plays the note value against a quiet click so you can feel how long it lasts.

Note values, longest to shortest (beats in 4/4 time)

Name	Note	Beats	Rest	Hear it
semibreve US: whole note		4		Hear it
minim US: half note		2		Hear it
crotchet US: quarter note		1		Hear it
quaver US: eighth note		½		Hear it
semiquaver US: sixteenth note		¼		Hear it

Dotted notes

Name	Made of	Beats	Hear it
dotted minim	2 + 1	3	Hear it
dotted crotchet	1 + ½	1½	Hear it
dotted quaver	½ + ¼	¾	Hear it

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What are the note values in music?

The five common note values are the semibreve (4 beats in 4/4), minim (2), crotchet (1), quaver (½) and semiquaver (¼). In the US they are called the whole, half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth note. Each one lasts half as long as the one before.

The beat counts above are for time signatures with a crotchet beat (2/4, 3/4 and 4/4), which is what most beginner music uses. What stays the same in every time signature is the ratio: a minim is always two crotchets long. Shorter notes are drawn with a black head, a stem and flags (or beams joining them): one flag for a quaver, two for a semiquaver.

How do you read rhythm?

Find the beat first, then count every note against it. Read the time signature, say the beat numbers out loud (“1 2 3 4”), and give each note its share: hold a minim through two numbers, and split a beat into “1 &” for two quavers.

1. Look at the time signature. The top number tells you how many beats in each bar.
2. Tap a steady beat with your foot or a pencil before you start.
3. Write or say the counts under the notes: 1, 2, 3, 4, with “&” for half-beats.
4. Clap the rhythm while counting out loud, slowly.
5. Then play or sing it, still feeling the count. Speed up only when it is steady.

How do you count rhythms?

Count beats as numbers and split them with syllables: “1 & 2 &” for quavers, “1 e & a” for semiquavers and “1 trip-let” for triplets. Notes that start between beats land on the “&”, “e” or “a”.

Many teachers also use rhythm words: “ta” for a crotchet, “ti-ti” for two quavers, “ta-a” for a minim. They are a good start for young children; numbers work better once pupils read longer pieces.

Rhythm builder: make a bar and hear it

Self-assessed Add notes until you have exactly 4 beats (one bar of 4/4). The count appears as you go – clap it, then press Play to check.

Semibreve4 beatsMinim2 beatsDotted minim3 beatsCrotchet1 beat2 quavers1 beatDotted crotchet + quaver2 beatsTriplet quavers1 beat4 semiquavers1 beatCrotchet rest1 beatMinim rest2 beats

Count: –

Beats: 0 of 4.

Play my rhythmUndoClearSpeed 72 beats a minute

Sounds are made in your browser. This tool never uses the microphone, and nothing is recorded, saved or sent.

What are dotted notes?

A dot after a note makes it half as long again. A dotted minim lasts 2 + 1 = 3 beats, and a dotted crotchet lasts 1 + ½ = 1½ beats, so it is usually followed by a quaver to finish the beat.

Dotted rhythms give music a skip or a lilt: “Jingle Bells” and “Twinkle, Twinkle” stay plain, but marches and Scottish tunes are full of dotted notes. A tie does a similar job across a bar line: two tied notes of the same pitch are held as one. A dot, unlike a tie, never crosses a bar line.

What are triplets in music?

A triplet fits three equal notes into the time normally taken by two. Three triplet quavers last one beat, the same as two ordinary ones. Triplets are written with a small 3 over or under the group.

Count them “1 trip-let, 2 trip-let”. Triplets make a rolling, swung feel and are common in jazz, blues and slow ballads. Try the triplet button in the rhythm builder above and compare it with two quavers.

Note values quiz: how many beats?

Marked by Classfern Ten questions on note lengths in 4/4, including dotted notes, with UK or US names to match this page. Questions are made fresh each time by the Classfern lesson engine; your answers stay on this device.

Start the quiz

Rhythm facts quiz

Marked by Classfern 5 multiple-choice questions on the Classfern lesson engine. Your answers stay on this device.

Start the quiz

This note values guide is part of Classfern’s free Music Department at lessonplanner.info. The note pictures are drawn with the same code as the Classfern reading course.

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