Note & Rest Values (Semibreve to Quaver)
How long each note lasts — from the whole-bar semibreve down to the quick quaver — and the matching rests (silences).
Explainer
Every note has a duration — how long it lasts — measured in beats.
In 4/4 time, a crotchet (quarter note) is worth one beat. A minim (half note) is worth two beats, and a semibreve (whole note) is worth four.
Quavers (eighth notes) and semiquavers (sixteenth notes) are shorter than a beat — two quavers, or four semiquavers, fit into a single crotchet beat.
Every note has a matching rest of exactly the same length — a silence you count just as carefully as a sound.
Worked examples
Filling a bar
In 4/4, one bar can be filled with a semibreve, or two minims, or four crotchets — all equal 4 beats.
Mixing values
A minim (2 beats) plus two crotchets (1 beat each) also completes a bar of 4/4.
A rest counts too
If beat 4 is silent, write a crotchet rest — the bar still lasts exactly four beats.