Today we’re going to talk about note value. We’ve all heard the same; whole-note, half-note, quarter-note, eighth-note, etc. explanation of note values, but what does this mean? Is a quarter-note in one tune the same as a quarter note in another tune? Do we truly know how to understand and interpret all those dots ‘n flags? What about tempo? Do we really know what all this means?

I’m sure there are many ways to explain this. It is difficult to articulate however I’ll tell you what works for me. Please add your own thoughts.

I want you to think about note value in terms of “the duration that a particular note is sounded”.

Refer to the image above. Regardless of what tempo we play at, a whole-note is sounded over four complete beats, in this example. I’m assuming that we’re working with a 4/4 time signature. The tempo will determine the exact duration of the note. The duration of each individual note changes proportionately.

The duration of a half-note is two beats. It starts at the beginning of a beat (click) and extends across two beats, ending at the beginning of the next beat. Again, referring to the example, a half-note would begin sounding on a click, would extend beyond the next click, and end on the following click. In other words, click, click, stop.

Proportionately, we have quarter-notes, eighth-notes, sixteen-notes, and 32^nd notes. These all have to be placed in their correct “start-points” and end at the correct “end-points”. This is where the metronome is absolutely critical. Used properly, the metronome will help us to start notes are the correct point and to end them at the appropriate point.

Let’s look back at the lesson on November 9^th with Glasgow Police Pipers. During this morning’s lesson my student did an awesome job of playing each eighth-note on a click. He was very comfortable at 120 clicks per minute. Then he did something that was interesting. In the 7^th measure, the first note is a High A and its value is one-quarter. He didn’t understand that the duration of that note is twice as long at the eighth-notes, or “two clicks”. Once this was pointed out, the entire tune fell into place. His goal for next week is to be solid at 140 clicks per minute.

I’m going to stop here for now. I’d like you to chew on this explanation for a bit. Look at tunes in your repertoire and plot out the notes according to their value. Use your metronome to align your notes correctly and to measure their duration. Remember, everything moves proportionately. Let me know how you’re doing and if you’d like me to work with you on a tune, drop me a line.