AI Tutor
Imagine striking a giant gong β€” the sound rings out continuously while your feet take four steady steps. In music, how do we write down sounds and silences that last that long?

Beats and Measures

Music moves forward on a steady pulse called the beat. A measure is a small box of time that holds a specific number of beats between vertical bar lines.
What if you want a single sound to ring out across an entire four-beat measure without stopping?

The Whole Note and Whole Rest

A whole note looks like an open oval with no stem and receives four beats of sound. Its partner, the whole rest, commands four full beats of complete silence.
What happens if we split that four-beat measure right down the middle into two equal parts?

The Half Note and Half Rest

A half note has an open oval notehead with a straight stem and lasts for two beats. A half rest gives you exactly two beats of silence.
How do we put all these pieces together to count and perform a real musical phrase?