How long to hold a note

Tap a steady foot, about one tap a second. That tap is a beat. These four shapes are the ones you meet first. A rest is a silence that lasts the same amount of time as the matching note. Silence is part of the tune.

• Whole note

  Count: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4

  The longest of these. Count four steady beats while it sounds.
  Hear it

• Half note

  Count: 1 – 2

  Half as long. Two of them fill the same time as one whole note.
  Hear it

• Quarter note

  Count: 1

  One beat. Most of Twinkle is quarter notes, with a longer note at the end of a line.
  Hear it

• Eighth note

  Count: 1-and

  Two eighth notes share one beat. Say “one-and, two-and” to feel them.
  Hear it