Grade 2: Time signatures 2/4

• Simple note values divide into two

• Semibreve/Whole Note: worth 2 minims, 4 crotchets, 8 quavers or 16 semiquavers

• Minim/Half Note: worth 2 crotchets, 4 quavers, or 8 semiquavers

• Crotchet/Quarter Note: worth 2 quavers, or 4 semiquavers

• Quaver/Eighth Note: worth 2 semiquavers

• Semiquaver/Sixteenth Note

The note pyramid

• the top number tells you how many beats in a bar: 2

• 2 beats in a bar is referred to as duple

• the bottom number refers back to the pyramid note tree - there are 4 crotchets/quarter notes in a semibrev

• 4 on the bottom therefore refers to crotchet beats

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We call 2/4 simple duple.​

​In these examples, you can see the longest note in a bar of 2/4 is a minim. When we get to notes that are faster than a crotchet, you notice the horizontal beams across the top of the quavers and semiquavers show specific grouping.

What is the value of each beamed group?

Each group is the value of a crotchet​.

When beaming notes, you have to show where each beat starts and ends.​

How the notes are positioned within the bar is also really important - you must show where each beat is. We wouldn't, for example, put a crotchet on the second semiquaver of the bar. In 2/4, crotchets should only be placed on beat 1 or beat 2.

When asked to put a rest that takes up the whole bar in 2/4, you must use a semibreve/whole rest.

A minim rest, or two crotchet rests, or four quaver rests will be marked wrong.

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Remember: a semibreve rest is also a WHOLE bar rest and can be used in any time signature to show a bar of silence.​

When asked to fill up the bar with the fewest number of rests, you must still show where the beats are.

​Using the fewests rests possible, complete this bar:

​Using the fewests rests possible, complete this bar

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​Using the fewests rests possible, complete this bar:

​You might do this as your answer:

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This is incorrect.

The rest covers the start of beat 2.

We must always show where beat two is.​

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​You might do this as your answer:

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This is correct.

Whilst there are 2 rests, the second rest shows you where beat 2 starts and the first rest shows you where beat one ends.​

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​Using the fewests rests possible, complete this bar:

​You might do this as your answer:

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This is incorrect.

The rest covers the start of beat 2 and the end of beat 1.

We must always show where beat two is.​

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​You might do this as your answer:

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This is correct.

Whilst there are 2 rests, the second rest shows you where beat 2 starts and the first rest shows you where beat one ends.​

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