Music Theory Online

We use bar lines to divide music into groups containing a certain number of beats.

Divide this example into bars containing 4 beats each.



Divide this example into bars containing 3 beats each.


Divide this example into bars containing 2 beats each.


The time signature tells you how many beats there are in each bar.

4/4 tells you that there are four crotchet notes (quarter notes) in a bar.
3/4 tells you that there are three crotchet notes (quarter notes) in a bar.
2/4 tells you that there are two crotchet notes (quarter notes) in a bar.


Rests
We do not always need to write notes in bars. Sometimes we can write rests instead. When there is a rest, you do not play anything.

Rests, like notes, have different values.



Can you fill in the example below, with only one rest in each bar, so that there are 4 beats in each bar?


Can you fill in the example below, with only one rest in each bar, so that there are 3 beats in each bar?



Dotted notes / Dotted Rests
When you add a dot to a note or a rest, you increase the note or rest by half its value.



Can you fill in the missing beats using the correct rests?


What is the time signature for the example above?


Tied notes
Sometimes you might want to hold a note across a bar, or for a value where there is no note for it. In this case, you use a “tie” to show this.