13.3 · Dividing the Beat
Sixteenth notes
You split the beat into two eighths at the '&'. Split each half again and you get sixteenth notes: four to a beat, counted 1 e & a. Two flags on the stem instead of one. This is the smallest division most music ever needs.
One beat, three ways
The same four clicks under each bar. One note per beat, then two, then four. Feel the surface get busier while the pulse never moves.
Count it: 1 e & a
The '&' keeps its name; the two new landings are 'e' and 'a'. A mixed bar reads exactly like it sounds: say the counting line, then hear it.
Sixteen cells, one bar
The drum sequencer you'll meet in Unit 14 gives every bar sixteen cells: each cell is one sixteenth note. The grid and the notation are the same picture.
Quiz
1 / 3How many sixteenth notes fill one beat?