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7.2.1: Eighth Notes

  • Page ID
    258506
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    Common Patterns with Eighth Notes

    You have already been seeing some of these common eighth note patterns, but our eighth note is our first common subdivision of the beat in a simple meter.

    If the meter is simple duple, triple, or quadruple and the quarter note is getting one beat, we will often see patterns of two eighth notes on a beat or one eighth and the other an eighth rest.

    With a pair of eighth notes, we hear two even sounds on the beat. Visually, they are filled in noteheads and are beamed together with one thick beam. We count these: ta-di or 1 +.

    Pair of eighth notes

    When a rest is taking the place of one of the eighth notes in the pair, it is important to still think of the half beat of silence. Here, we have an eighth rest and then a single eighth note that has a filled in notehead and a stem with a flag. If the stem is down, the flag will be on the same side as the notehead. If the stem is up, the flag will be on the opposite side from the notehead. In both cases, the flag is to the right of the stem.

    With this pattern, we would think the first part of the beat and then clap or make sound on the second part of the beat. If using a counting system, count this pattern as: (silence)-di, or (silence) +.

    Eighth rest and eighth note

    With this pattern, the sound is on the first part of the beat and then the silence comes on the second half of the beat. If using a counting system, count this pattern as: Ta-(silence), or 1 (silence).

    Eighth note and an eighth rest


    This page titled 7.2.1: Eighth Notes is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lauren C. Sharkey.

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