The lines of the staff (from bottom to top) are E G B D F (Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge). The spaces of the staff are F A C E (or face).

The above notes are whole notes. That means they last 4 beats (count 1, 2, 3, 4). A half note lasts for 2 beats. A quarter note lasts one beat. Don't be confused with the names and the number of beats the note gets. It is a quarter of a whole note, not a quarter of a beat.



A quarter note can be split into smaller counts:


To make many notes easy to read, they are linked together:


Rests have counts too. Rests are times when you don't play any notes:


Adding a dot to a notes adds one-half to its original duration. Remember a duration is how many beats the note is played.

Counting each beat can help you figure out when to play the notes written on the music. Each beat is a number - beat 1, beat 2, beat 3, beat 4. When you tap your foot, each time your foot hits the floor is a beat 1, 2, 3, 4.

Each time your foot is in the air, say "and". 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. Each "and" is a half beat.
But there's even more! In between the beat and the half beat, there is a half of a half beat (or sixteenth note). Say "1 e and a" then "2 e and a". See example below. The underlined words are when you play the note.


One more thing. A sharp raises a note a half step. A flat lowers a note a half step.


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