Expert: Donald - 2/19/2007

Question
This will proably sound foolish but how long exactly is a whole note?  I know it is held for four beats but how long are beats?  A second apart or half a second?  I have a metronome but I have no idea how to use it.  My daughter has a keyboard and she has no idea either.  I think you can tell that math isn't my strong point.  Any help would be wonderful. Thank you.
Margaret

Answer
Hi Margaret,

There is no such thing as a foolish question regarding music theory! Thank you for your inquiry!

Generally, most people use the definition that you have given to describe a whole note. Unfortunately, this is not exactly correct. The time signature determines what kind of a note receives one beat. For example, 4/4 means that there are four beats to a measure (the top number) and that a quarter note receives one beat (the bottom number). Thus, a time signature of 3/2 would indicate three beats to a measure and the half note receiving the beat. In 4/4 time, a whole note receives four beats. In 3/2 time, a whole note receives two beats. Therefore, the value of a whole note is relative to the bottom number of the time signature.

In regard to exactly how long the note should be held, this is dependent on the tempo (or speed) of a piece. If you set your metronome to 60 beats per minute, then a whole note would last longer than if you set the metronome to 80 beats per minute (this is assuming that the bottom number of the time signature is the same for both examples.)

I hope that this has been of some help to you. Please feel free to ask follow up questions if I can assist you in any way.

Best regards,

Donald