This section will teach you the value of the various types of notes and how they relate to one another.

This is a note pyramid. It shows the relationship of the notes to one another. The whole note has the most value so it appears on the top of the pyramid. As you move down the pyramid, the value of the notes decreases.

As you can see, breaking down a whole note into smaller notes can be related to breaking a dollar into change. Just as two half dollars make a dollar, two half notes make a whole note. Similarly, just as four quarters make a dollar, four quarter notes make a whole note.

Just as simple division, notes can be divided to determine their relationship to each other. In this example, a whole note divided by an eighth note equals 8. So, there are 8 eighth notes in a whole note. This means that it takes 8 eighth notes to make the value of one whole note. You can also determine this by using the note pyramid above.

In this example, a whole note divided by a sixteenth note equals 16. So, there are 16 sixteenth notes in a whole note. This means that it takes 16 sixteenth notes to make the value of one whole note. You can also determine this by using the note pyramid above.