How to Play a Half Note

A half note, also called a minim, is written with an open oval note head and a straight line note stem. Its open oval resembles the whole note, but is held for half the duration of the whole note. Learning to play a half note on a keyboard requires recognition of the half note symbol and memorizing the number of beats associated with it. A half note is held for the beat of two quarter notes.

Things You'll Need

• Metronome
• Keyboard

Instructions

1. Note the time signature if you are reading music. For this example, a 2/4 time signature is used. This time signature indicates that the quarter note sets the beat, and there are two beats per measure.

2. Start a metronome and begin counting "one, two, one, two" to the beat of the metronome. To keep a steady beat without a metronome, repeat the phrase, "One-and, two-and, one-and, two-and" to set the quarter note beat.

3. Press your key on the count of "one."

4. Hold the key down for the count of two quarter notes (one-and, two-and).

5. Release the key on the second "and."

Tips & Warnings

• You can adjust the speed of your metronome to whatever is comfortable for you. The length of a quarter note in one piece of music is not necessarily going to be the tempo for the next piece of music.

• A half rest looks like a top hat, a rectangle with a line underneath, and lasts the same duration as a half note. The difference is that instead of playing a note for the beat of two quarter notes, you don't play anything for that amount of time.