How to read half notes and hold them for two beats

After this lesson you can read and play half notes, holding each one for two full beats.

You already know how to hold a note for two counts: you did it by ear in Hot Cross Buns. Now you will see what that long note looks like when it is written down. It is called a half note, and once you can read it alongside the quarter note you can follow a surprising number of simple tunes.

What a half note looks like

A half note has an open, hollow head, an oval drawn as an outline rather than filled in, plus a stem, just like a quarter note's. That hollow head is the only visual difference between the two, so look carefully: filled head, one beat; hollow head, two beats.

The name makes sense when you compare it with the quarter note. Two quarter notes last as long as one half note, so a half note fills half of a 4/4 bar.

Two half notes fill a bar of 4/4, exactly the same time as four quarter notes

How to count a half note

Press the key on the first count, keep it down while you say the second count, and let it go as the next count arrives. If a half note starts on beat 3, you play on 3, hold through 4, and release as you reach the 1 of the next bar.

The most important rule: the counting never stops. Your voice keeps going, "3, 4", while your finger stays still. This is how musicians make sure long notes last exactly long enough.

Quarter, quarter, half: play on 1 and 2, then press on 3 and hold through 4

This "short, short, long" pattern is the rhythm of Hot Cross Buns. The whole tune, written as rhythm, looks like this:

The rhythm of Hot Cross Buns: three bars end with a half note, and the third bar has four quarter notes

Reading a mixed rhythm

Once quarters and halves are mixed, you have to read each bar carefully rather than guessing. Try this four-bar rhythm on middle C:

Bar 1: quarter, quarter, half (counts 1, 2, 3–4)
Bar 2: half, half (counts 1–2, 3–4)
Bar 3: four quarters (1, 2, 3, 4)
Bar 4: half, quarter, quarter (1–2, 3, 4)

A mixed rhythm: count every bar 1 2 3 4, and let each hollow note last two counts

Every bar still adds up to four beats. That is a handy check: if a bar you are reading doesn't add up to four, you have misread something.

Adding the notes

With your right hand in C position, try a melody made entirely of half notes: C D E F, then G F E D, holding every note for two counts. This is slow and calm, and it is good practice for keeping the key down the whole time.

Then try a mixed one: E D C with the C held, then C D E with the E held, then E D C again. Each group is quarter, quarter, half.

You can also play the start of Au clair de la lune, a French folk song. The first three bars are C C C D (four quarters), E and D (two halves), then C E D D (four quarters). The song continues in the next lesson with a note that is longer still. You can hear the whole thing on the Au clair de la lune song page.

How to practise

Clap the Hot Cross Buns rhythm while counting aloud. For each half note, clap once and then keep your palms pressed together for the second count.
Clap the mixed four-bar rhythm the same way.
Play both rhythms on middle C. Watch your finger: it should stay on the key, not bounce off, during the second count of each half note.
Play the all-half-note melody C D E F G F E D, counting "1, 2, 3, 4" through every bar.
Play the E D C patterns, then the first three bars of Au clair de la lune.
Clap a two-bar rhythm of your own made from quarters and halves, then play it back on middle C.

Common mistakes

Misreading the head. A quick glance can mistake a hollow head for a filled one. Slow down and check each note.
Stopping the count while you hold. If your counting pauses during long notes, the next note will come in early or late.
Holding through the next note. Let go of the half note just as the next note starts, so the two do not blur together.
Rushing the quarter notes after a long note. The beat stays the same speed whether you are holding or moving.

Try it in Pianuvo

In Unit 1: Pulse and rhythm through playing, this lesson has you tap mixed rhythms on middle C with a click, copy rhythms by ear, play half-note melodies and then read Hot Cross Buns and the start of Au clair de la lune from the rhythm line. It hears you through the screen keys, a MIDI keyboard, or a real piano via the microphone, and points out any half notes you let go of too soon.