The value of a note in beats depends on the time signature; the relationship between notes does not change (a quarter note (UK: crotchet) always lasts twice as long as an eighth note (UK: quaver)). A dotted quarter note lasts 1½ beats in 2/4 and exactly one beat in 6/8, because in compound meters the beat is the dotted quarter note. In this exercise you see a measure and a note or a rest, and you say how long it lasts, in beats.
How long each note lasts in each time signature
The first step is to look at the time signature and know which note lasts one beat:
- In the simple meters with a 4 at the bottom (2/4, 3/4 and 4/4) the beat is the quarter note, which divides into two eighth notes.
- In the compound meters with an 8 at the bottom (6/8, 9/8 and 12/8) the beat is the dotted quarter note, which divides into three eighth notes. That is why each eighth note lasts one third of a beat.
| Note | In 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 | In 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 |
|---|---|---|
| Whole note | 4 beats | 2⅔ beats |
| Dotted half note | 3 beats | 2 beats |
| Half note | 2 beats | 1⅓ beats |
| Dotted quarter note | 1½ beats | 1 beat |
| Quarter note | 1 beat | ⅔ of a beat |
| Dotted eighth note | ¾ of a beat | ½ a beat |
| Eighth note | ½ a beat | ⅓ of a beat |
| Sixteenth note | ¼ of a beat | ⅙ of a beat |
A dot adds to the note half of its value, and with a double dot the second dot adds half of what the first one adds. So a double-dotted quarter note lasts 1 + ½ + ¼ = 1¾ beats in 2/4, and ⅔ + ⅓ + ⅙ = 1⅙ beats in 6/8. Rests last exactly the same as their note, also with a dot.
In the exercise only notes that fit in the measure appear (a whole note does not fit in 2/4). And the whole rest appears only in 4/4: in a score it is used to show a whole measure of silence in any time signature, however long the measure lasts, so outside 4/4 it would not last the four beats of a whole note.
Printable worksheet (PDF)
The same exercise on paper: 18 notes and rests, each with its time signature, first in simple and then in compound time signatures, on one A4 sheet. With a separate answer sheet, with the answers in red.
Download the worksheet (A4 PDF) Answers
You can print and photocopy it freely for class. The full theory is in the dot and in time signatures, and there are more exercises in note value and rhythm exercises.