EMT Lesson One How to read music
EMT Lesson One How to read music
A tie is a curved line drawn between two notes which joins the notes and their note values together. This is particularly common when a note is sustained beyond the final beat in the bar into the next bar. Tying the notes together creates a longer note.
For example, a half note tied to a quarter note
A half note = 2 beats
A quarter note = 1 beat
A half note + a quarter note = 3 beats
Once again, note the rests which complete the four (4) beats in the bar in each clef.
Figure 18. Half note tied to a quarter note (Enlarge)
Another example, a quarter note tied to a whole note in following bar
A quarter note = 1 beat
A whole note = 4 beats
A quarter note + a whole note = 5 beats
Figure 19. Quarter note on beat 4 tied to a whole note in the following bar (Enlarge)
(Note: In order to help musicians to read, it is common practice to use dots and ties in a way that always shows the middle of the bar. In the treble clef of Figure 19, the dotted half note rest would more commonly be shown as a half note rest and a quarter note rest – see Figure 20.)
Figure 20. Quarter note on beat 4 tied to a whole note in the following bar (alternative notation) (Enlarge)
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