Eighth Note

An eighth note lasts half as long as a quarter note. It looks like a quarter note with a single flag added to the end of its stem. When two or more eighth notes sit together, the flags are usually replaced by a beam, a thick straight line joining the stems. In British English it is called a quaver.

Counting eighth notes

In 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, two eighth notes fill one beat. Count the first on the number and the second on "&" (said "and"): "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &". A single eighth note on the "&" falls off the beat, which is the basis of many syncopated rhythms.

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Flags or beams?

The two look different but sound the same. Beams make rhythms easier to read because they show where each beat begins:

• In 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, eighth notes are beamed in pairs, one pair per beat, or in fours within each half of a 4/4 bar.
• In 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 they are beamed in threes, one group per dotted-quarter beat.
• A single eighth note, for example after a dotted quarter note, keeps its flag.

In vocal music, older editions often gave each sung syllable its own flagged note; many modern editions beam vocal lines just like instrumental ones. Practice grouping eighth notes correctly with Beaming & Grouping and Beam the Rhythm.

Eighth rests and swing

An eighth rest marks half a beat of silence. In jazz, blues and related styles, pairs of eighth notes are often played unevenly, long-short, which is called swing. The notation looks the same, so a word such as "Swing" at the top of the music tells you.

Learn the basics in The Eighth Note.