4.1 Notes, rests and accidentals

In this chapter you will learn about the sixteenth note and rest, and about the dotted eighth note. You will also learn about the triplet.

1. Sixteenth note and rest

In musical notation, note values are always twice as long or twice as short in relation to each other. The sixteenth note is twice as fast as an eighth note. Two sixteenth notes equals one eighth note. Four sixteenth notes equals one quarter note.

	sixteenth note	note played for half the value of an eighth note; four sixteenth notes have the same duration as one quarter note.
	sixteenth rest	rest played for half the value of an eighth rest; four sixteenth rests have the same duration as one quarter rest.

Example

How are multiple sixteenth notes notated?

2. Dotted eighth note

dotted eighth note

eighth note increased by a sixteenth note; note played for the value of three sixteenth notes.

3. Triplet

triplet

a group of three notes to be performed in the time of two.