Note value

In music notation, a note value is the amount of time of a note. A note value is relative: it depends on the tempo (speed) of the music. For example, a quarter note (crotchet) at 80 BPM is the same as a half note (minimum) at 160 beats per minute.

Note value is shown by the shape of the note, including the notehead, stem, and flags. Simple note values are fractional powers of two, for example: one, one half, one fourth, etc.

A rest means a silence (no sound) of an equal amount of time.