Note duration
Each subdivision (= column) can be filled with a note or left empty. The effective duration of a note is then determined by the number of subdivisions before the next non-empty column. Let's see some examples:
Each note has a duration of 1 beat
Each note has a duration of 1/2 beat
It's actually the same pattern written in two different ways: with 4 beat subdivisions or with 2 beat subdivisions. Both ways are correct, it's only a matter of preference.
Each note has a duration of 1/3 beat
Mixed durations
- The first 4 notes have a duration of 3/4 beat
- The last note is 1 beat long
A more complex example, using 6 beat subdivisions:
- 1st beat: each note has a duration of 1/6 beat
- 2nd beat: each note has a duration of 1/3 beat
- 3rd beat: each note has a duration of 1/2 beat
- 4th beat: the note has a duration of 1 beat
Example with a split subdivision:
- Note number 1 (the first three notes) have a duration of 1/4 beat each
- Notes number 2 have a duration of 1/8 beat each (notice the split subdivision, resulting in half the duration of the previous notes)
- Note number 3 (last note) is 3 beats long
- Notes with a duration of 1/3 beat are called triplets.
- Notes with a duration of 1/6 beat are called sextuplets.
If we consider that a beat is a quarter note, then the previous examples can be translated as:
1. Each note is a quarter
2. Each note is a 8th
3. Each note is a 8th triplet
4. The first 4 notes are dotted 8th and the last note is a quarter
5. We have respectively for each beat: 16th sextuplet / 8th triplet / 8th / quarter
6. Notes number 1: 16th / Notes number 2: 32nd / Last note: dotted half