In music we have so far learned about some different types of notes. They are the quaver or eighth-note, the crotchet or quarter-note, minim or half-note and semibreve or whole-note. Do you remember how many beats each of these notes lasts? Here is a table to remind you:
|
SEMIBREVE |
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|
MINIM |
MINIM |
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CROTCHET |
CROTCHET |
CROTCHET |
CROTCHET |
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|
QUAVER |
QUAVER |
QUAVER |
QUAVER |
QUAVER |
QUAVER |
QUAVER |
QUAVER |
When we place a dot after a note that means that half of the number of beats for that note is added on. This is because sometimes we want to make a note that is half way between a minim and a semibreve, or half way between a crotchet and a minim.
If you look at the table above, you can see how all the smaller notes fit inside the bigger ones. When we put a dot after a note, we are taking half of the beat next door to it so that leaves less beats in the bar to fill up.
For example remembering our lesson on time signatures, each bar must have the same number of beats and how many will depend on the time signature. If we are using a time signature of 4/4, there will have to be notes in every bar which add together to make four crotchet beats. If one of the notes is one and a half beats long, the next must fit into the pattern of the four crotchet beats so that there is no more than four beats in every bar. We will do more on fitting notes into each bar later. First we must understand how much to add to each kind of note when we put a dot after it:
| Half way between a minim or half note (2 beats) and a semibreve or whole
note (4 beats) is the DOTTED MINIM which lasts for 3 beats.
|
| The maths looks like this:
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| 2 beats + (half of 2 = 1) = 3 beats.
|
| The dotted crotchet lasts for 1 1/2 beats. The maths looks like this:
|
| 1 beat + (half of 1 = 1/2) = 1 and a half beats.
|
| The dotted quaver lasts for 3/4 of one beat. The maths looks like this:
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| 1/2 a beat + (1/2 of a half = 1/4) = 3/4. This one is a bit tricky, but if you can understand and remember the dotted minim and crotchet you are doing very well. |
Sometimes we will want to write a silence or space rather than a note. There are rests for each number of beats just like with the notes and they have the same names- they just look different.
| A quaver rest goes for half a beat |
| A crotchet rest goes for one beat |
| A minim rest goes for two beats |
| A semibreve goes for four beats |
We can also have dotted rests. The have the same number of beats as the notes:
| A dotted quaver rest goes for three quarters of one beat |
| A dotted crotchet rest goes for one and a half beats |
| A dotted minim rest goes for three beats |
Can you do these sums?
1. A minim + a semibreve + a crotchet =_____________________beats.
2. A semibreve + a dotted crotchet =_____________________beats.
3. A minim + 2 quavers + a crotchet =____________________beats.
4. A crotchet + a dotted minim =___________________beats.
5. A dotted crotchet + a quaver =_________________beats.
6. A quaver + a dotted minim + a quaver rest =_________________beats.
7. A crotchet rest + a quaver rest + a dotted crotchet =______________beats.
8. A semibreve + a dotted minim rest + a quaver =_____________beats.
9. A minim + a dotted minim + 3 quavers =______________beats.
When we go to the shop to get some lollies or an ice block we always pay the same amount but we don't always use the same coins. If a bag of lollies costs 30 cents, we might pay with 3 ten cent coins, or a 20 cent + a ten cent coin, or even 6 five cent pieces. Each bar of music is like this. Each will have the same number of beats according to the time signature at the beginning of the first line, but there are different combinations of notes that can make that up.
When we write bars of music we have to make sure that each bar has the same number of beats in the bar. How many different combinations of notes can make up 4 beats?
1._____________ + _____________+ _______________ = 4 beats
2._____________ + _____________ + 2 quavers = 4 beats.
3. ____________ + dotted crotchet + ________________ = beats.
Now see how many you can make up on your own:
_______________________________________________________________________
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Now see how many different combinations of notes you can think of to make up 3 beats:
_______________________________________________________________________
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Well Done! Now we will move onto fitting these note values into bars so that nothing is left over.
If we are using a time signature of 4/4, each bar must have notes that total 4 beats in it. If we are using a time signature, each bar must have notes that total 3 beats in each bar. If we are using a time signature of 2/4 each bar must have notes that total 2/4.
The number on the bottom of the time signature is also important. It tells us how those notes should be broken up into separate beats. The bottom note tells us how many quavers can be tied together and whether our rests should be quavers or crotchets.
For example, in a bar of 3/4 there are a maximum of 6 quavers but they should be grouped in two's so that each group adds to one of the four crotchet beats in the bar.
For a bar of 4/4, the quavers are still joined in lots of two but there will be four of them to make up the extra crotchet beat. Like this:
3/4 P_P P_P P_P 4/4 P_P P_P P_P P_P
1 2 3 1 2 3 4
This might seem simple but you have to remember that when you begin to put in rests, or notes that go for more than one beat it can get tricky.