What is rhythm?

Rhythm is a pattern of sounds made from different long and short notes. The rhythm in music can add to the character of the music.

Rhythm can be broken down into four basic concepts:

1. Beats and Note Duration

2. Time Signatures

3. Strong and Weak Beats

4. Duple and Triple Time

Beats and Note Duration

Rhythm in sheet music is notated using symbols. The semibreve (whole note) is the longest held note in a 4 beat bar, which can be divided into minims (half notes), crotchets (quarter notes), quavers (quarter notes) and semiquavers (eighth notes). These symbols are noted like so:

Semibreve (Whole Note)

The semibreve lasts for four counts of a beat:

Minim (Half Note)

The minim lasts for two counts of a beat:

Crotchet (Quarter Note)

The crotchet lasts for one count of a beat:

Quaver (Eighth Note):

The quaver lasts for half the length of beat:

Semiquaver (Sixteenth Note):

The semiquaver lasts for a quarter the length of one beat: