Section 3: Duration (Note Length)

Duration is the length of time a note is held or played. The length a note is held, names the note, and likewise, each note looks differently, (See Figure F).

(Figure F)

The relationships between the notes are a mathematical one. A whole note for example, can be four seconds long, meaning that a note is played or "held" for four whole seconds, or four beats. A half note, (as it is so named), is half the length of a whole note. If the whole note is held for four beats, then a half note would be held for two beats.

A quarter note would be half the length of a half note, or a quarter of the length of a whole note. Again, if the whole note is held for four beats, a quarter note would be held for one beat.

Progressively, the other notes follow suit. The eighth note is half the length of a quarter note and a sixteenth note is half the length of an eighth note, and a thirty-second note is half the duration of a sixteenth note.

Exercise:

Here is a concept-building exercise. We will use this to put into practice what you are learning as you go. As you advance, so does the exercise. Ready?

This exercise is your first lesson in counting and syncopation. We will get into definitions and explanations later, but for right now just do the exercise.

1. Count one through four and repeat. Each number should be one per second. No "one-thousands" in between. Just 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 and repeat.
2. Now that you have a nice count going, clap to the count with one clap per second.
3. Here's the fun part. Sing aloud, "Mary Had A Little Lamb."

As you sing, you will notice that some of the words are held longer than others, and some are shorter than others. We say that each word has a different duration. Between the spaces from one clap to the other, you will find single words that take up the whole amount of time, and you will find that there are two words that take up the same amount of time. Finally, you will notice that some words take up more than the space of time between one clap to the next.

Each of those words could be represented as notes on a staff for an instrument to play, and will have different durations.

Exercise 2:

This next exercise is designed to explain the duration counts as it applies to practice. Remember that four count? Clap it again but counting aloud; 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 and continue. Each of those counts/caps is a quarter note or one beat of four.

Let's change how you count aloud. If you add the word "and" when your hands are furthest apart and count when you hands close, those are eighth notes, or half of a quarter note's duration. Your count aloud would be 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and, then repeating.

Continue clapping the 4 beat and change your count. This time say two words "half note" where half is 2 beats, and note is two beats. Those are half notes, or double the duration of quarter note durations.

If you where to change your count one more time to say and hold the word "whole" so that it's duration is all four beats, then that would be a whole note or the duration all four beats.

Please note that not all music is written in this manner where all counts are four beats. Some, like waltzes are three beats, counted as 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 and so on. We will continue to get deeper into syncopation and counting a little later on. In the meanwhile, become familiar with the whole note, the half note, quarter notes, and eighth notes.

NOTE: This section, as well the next few sections will seem rather vague and may even be hard to grasp. Keep in mind that you are learning the "concepts" that will build the foundation. The exercises used are important to relay the concepts.

Think of yourself standing at the bottom of an information waterfall and blocks of information are falling down all around you. Instead of trying to piece the blocks together, let the information "sink in" and as you progress through the next few sections, we will take all of the information and show you how to piece them together.

Please be patient and pay special attention to the exercises given.