This is a sixteenth note. It lasts for one quarter of a beat. There are four sixteenth notes in one beat. There are 16 sixteenth notes in one bar of *
Count out loud as you play this example and remember to keep all the notes even in length and volume. Tap your foot on each beat and be careful not to tap in between the beats.
Sixteenth notes are often used within a beat in conjunction with eighth notes. Two common groupings are shown here.
Another common sixteenth note timing is when a sixteenth note is played after a dotted eighth note, as shown.
The dot placed after the eighth note lengthens the note by half its value. The dotted eighth note is equivalent in duration to three sixteenth notes.
The following example demonstrates all the sixteenth note figures just shown, along with other note values. Add the count under the music and practice clapping the rhythms.