Note Values and Rests: Names, Durations, and Complete Chart
Note values show how long each sound lasts, and rests show how long each silence lasts. Each of the seven common values, from whole to sixty-fourth notes, is half the previous one: a whole note equals two half notes, four quarter notes, or eight eighth notes.
In this article
- At a glance
- What are the note values, and how long do they last?
- How long does each note last? Relative values, not seconds
- What are musical rests, and how are they written?
- What does a dot do? It adds half the value
- How do note values add up within a measure?
- A clapping exercise to learn note values
- Common rhythm-reading mistakes
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
- About the author
At a glance
- The seven common note values are whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, thirty-second, and sixty-fourth notes. Each lasts half as long as the previous one.
- Values are relative, not measured in seconds: at 60 quarter notes per minute, a quarter note lasts one second; at 120, half a second.
- Each note value has a rest of the same duration: a quarter rest lasts as long as a quarter note.
- A dot adds half the value: a dotted quarter note lasts one and a half quarter notes, or 1,5 beats.
- In a 4/4 measure, notes and rests add up to four quarter notes, for example, eight eighth notes.
The staff tells you which pitch to play, and the note value tells you how long it lasts. If you cannot tell whether a note lasts one, two, or half a beat when reading a rhythm, it is usually because nobody showed you the rule of dividing by two.
Here you will find a chart of the seven note values, how each rest is drawn, what a dot does, how to fill measures, and a clapping exercise to practice.
What are the note values, and how long do they last?
A note symbol combines three elements: the notehead (an oval that is open or filled), the stem (the vertical line), and the flags or beams added to shorter values. These three features identify each note value.
| Note value | What it looks like | How many equal a whole note | Beats in 4/4 (quarter note = 1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note | Open oval, no stem | 1 | 4 |
| Half note | Open oval with a stem | 2 | 2 |
| Quarter note | Filled oval with a stem | 4 | 1 |
| Eighth note | Filled oval, stem, and one flag | 8 | 1/2 |
| Sixteenth note | Filled oval, stem, and two flags | 16 | 1/4 |
| Thirty-second note | Filled oval, stem, and three flags | 32 | 1/8 |
| Sixty-fourth note | Filled oval, stem, and four flags | 64 | 1/16 |
Sourced figure
A whole note contains 64 sixty-fourth notes: a sixty-fourth note is worth 1/64 of a whole note and is the shortest commonly used value.
When several eighth or sixteenth notes appear in a row, beams connect them instead of individual flags, making it easier to see where each beat falls. Longer values (maxima, longa, and double whole note) and shorter ones (one hundred twenty-eighth and two hundred fifty-sixth notes) also exist, but they are now obsolete or rarely seen.
How long does each note last? Relative values, not seconds
A note value does not last a fixed number of seconds. Its duration is relative to other values, and the speed (tempo) determines how long that is in real time. At 60 quarter notes per minute, a quarter note lasts one second; at 120, it lasts half a second. In both cases, though, a half note lasts twice as long as a quarter note.
- A whole note equals two half notes.
- A half note equals two quarter notes.
- A quarter note equals two eighth notes.
- An eighth note equals two sixteenth notes, and the pattern continues through sixty-fourth notes.
This rule of dividing by two makes the system easy to remember: each successive value in the chart doubles the number of notes that fit into the same amount of time. Practicing with a metronome helps you feel the actual speed instead of imagining it; how to use a metronome for practice offers a step-by-step method.
What are musical rests, and how are they written?
A rest is a symbol that marks a pause. Each note value has a matching rest of exactly the same length: a quarter rest lasts as long as a quarter note, and so on. Rests are distinguished by their shapes and, for the first two, by their positions on the staff.
| Rest | Lasts as long as | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Whole rest | A whole note | Rectangle hanging from the fourth line |
| Half rest | A half note | Rectangle sitting on the third line |
| Quarter rest | One quarter note | Zigzag symbol running down the staff |
| Eighth rest | An eighth note | Slanted line with a hook and a dot |
| Sixteenth rest | A sixteenth note | Same shape, with two hooks |
| Thirty-second rest | A thirty-second note | Same shape, with three hooks |
| Sixty-fourth rest | A sixty-fourth note | Same shape, with four hooks |
A whole measure of silence is written with a whole rest, regardless of the time signature. This can be confusing at first: in 3/4, a whole note does not fit in a measure, but a whole rest is still used for a full measure of silence.
Rests can also be dotted, although they cannot be extended with ties.
What does a dot do? It adds half the value
A dot placed to the right of a note or rest adds half its original value. It is the most common way to write durations that do not result from repeatedly dividing a whole note in half.
| Dotted note | Count | Beats |
|---|---|---|
| Dotted whole note | 4 + 2 | 6 |
| Dotted half note | 2 + 1 | 3 |
| Dotted quarter note | 1 + 1/2 | 1,5 |
| Dotted eighth note | 1/2 + 1/4 | 0,75 |
A double dot adds half the original value, then half of that half: a double-dotted half note lasts 3,5 beats, equivalent to a half note, a quarter note, and an eighth note. It is much less common. Do not confuse it with the dot above or below a notehead, called a staccato mark, which changes how the note is played rather than its written value.
How do note values add up within a measure?
The notes and rests in each measure must add up to exactly the amount required by the time signature. The top number tells you how many units there are, and the bottom number tells you which note value is the unit; we explain this in detail in time signatures: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, and 6/8.
| Time signature | Each measure adds up to | Possible combinations |
|---|---|---|
| 2/4 | 2 quarter notes | 2 quarter notes; 1 quarter note and 2 eighth notes; 4 eighth notes |
| 3/4 | 3 quarter notes | 3 quarter notes; 1 half note and 1 quarter note; 1 dotted half note |
| 4/4 | 4 quarter notes | 4 quarter notes; 2 half notes; 1 half note and 2 quarter notes; 8 eighth notes; 1 whole note |
| 6/8 | 6 eighth notes | 6 eighth notes; 2 dotted quarter notes; 1 dotted quarter note and 3 eighth notes |
Notice that 6/8 adds up to six eighth notes but is felt as two beats of three eighth notes each, with each beat equal to a dotted quarter note. That is why the note value counted as one beat is not always a quarter note.
A clapping exercise to learn note values
You learn rhythm with your body before your eyes. Try this sequence with the metronome set to 60 per minute, so each click is a quarter note:
- One quarter note per click. Clap on every click for one measure of 4/4, counting aloud: 1, 2, 3, 4.
- One half note every two clicks. Clap on 1 and 3 and let each sound last.
- Eighth notes. Clap twice per click and count: 1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 and.
- Rests. Repeat the previous sequence, but do not clap on 3: that is a quarter rest. Keep the beat going silently.
- Dotted notes. Clap a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note: two sounds filling two beats, with the first lasting longer.
Five minutes a day with this routine builds rhythm more effectively than reading the chart ten times. For a longer reading exercise, the guide to reading sheet music from scratch combines these values with pitches, and the article on the music staff explains where notes go.
Common rhythm-reading mistakes
- Confusing half notes and quarter notes. The difference is the notehead: open for a half note, filled for a quarter note. Both have stems.
- Giving an eighth note a full beat. In 4/4, an eighth note is half a beat; two eighth notes together fill one beat.
- Skipping rests. If you do not count them, you shorten the measure and lose the beat.
- Thinking the dot is optional. It changes the duration: without it, the note lasts only two-thirds of its written value.
- Counting eighth notes as beats in 6/8. The beat there is a dotted quarter note, not an eighth note.
Frequently asked questions
How many note values are there?
The seven common values are whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, thirty-second, and sixty-fourth notes. Longer values (maxima, longa, and breve) and shorter ones (hundred twenty-eighth and two hundred fifty-sixth notes) also exist but are rarely used today.
What is the shortest note value?
Of the commonly used values, the sixty-fourth note is the shortest, lasting one sixty-fourth of a whole note. One hundred twenty-eighth and two hundred fifty-sixth notes are even shorter, but are no longer commonly used.
What is a double dot?
It is two dots to the right of a note: the first adds half its value, and the second adds half of that half. A double-dotted half note lasts 3,5 beats, equivalent to a half note, a quarter note, and an eighth note.
How many eighth notes fit in a measure of 4/4?
Eight, because each quarter note contains two eighth notes and the measure holds four quarter notes. You can also mix eighth notes with other values that add up to the same total.
Do rests have the same values as notes?
Yes. Every note value has a matching rest, so a quarter rest lasts as long as a quarter note. It uses a different symbol but is counted the same way.
What are note values used for?
They show the duration of each sound. Together with the time signature, they organize rhythm; together with a note's position on the staff, they tell you what pitch sounds and how long it lasts.
Sources
We checked the facts in this article against these sources on November 8, 2026.
About the editorial team
Author
Bachelor of Music Education, Universidad Pedagógica Nacional · Music teacher with 6+ years teaching children, teens and adults
Gisselle Torres holds a degree in Music Education from the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional. She is a flutist and has taught music for more than 6 years. She teaches children, teens and adults at home and online, and writes these guides from what works in her lessons.
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Fact check
We check every figure and fact in each guide against published sources and update it when they change. Last review: November 8, 2026.