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Rhythm & Meter

Thirty-Second Note

Definition

A thirty-second note has three flags, or three beams when grouped. It lasts half as long as a sixteenth note, so eight thirty-second notes fill one quarter-note beat.

A thirty-second note lasts half as long as a sixteenth note. It is drawn with three flags on its stem, or with three beams when it is grouped with other short notes. In British English it is called a demisemiquaver, literally "half of a half of a quaver".

How long is it?

  • Two thirty-second notes = one sixteenth note.
  • Four thirty-second notes = one eighth note.
  • Eight thirty-second notes = one quarter note.

In 4/4 that means 32 of them would fill a bar, which is where the name comes from.

Where you meet them

Thirty-second notes are less common than the longer values, and they usually turn up in two situations:

  • Slow movements. In an Adagio or a Largo, the beat is so slow that composers need very short values to write running figures and decorations. At a slow tempo, thirty-seconds may not sound fast at all.
  • Ornaments and flourishes. Written-out turns, quick runs leading to a long note, and the short note after a double-dotted note are often thirty-seconds.
One treble-clef bar in 4/4. Beat 1: a dotted eighth E5 beamed to thirty-second notes F5 E5. Beat 2: eighth notes D5 C5. Beat 3: eight beamed thirty-second notes G5 A5 G5 F5 E5 D5 C5 B4. Beat 4: a quarter note C5. The beat numbers 1 2 3 4 are printed below.
A slow bar of 4/4 (quarter note = 50). Beat 1 is a dotted eighth note followed by two thirty-second notes; beat 2 is two eighth notes; beat 3 is a run of eight thirty-second notes, three beams thick, filling a single beat; beat 4 is a quarter note.

Reading and counting them

Do not try to give every thirty-second note its own syllable. Count in sixteenths ("1 e & a") and fit two thirty-seconds into each syllable, or find the beat each group belongs to and spread its notes evenly across it. Practice slowly with a metronome ticking eighth notes, and speed up only when the notes come out evenly.

Shorter still is the sixty-fourth note, with four flags or beams. It appears mostly in very slow music and in ornamental passages.

To build up to thirty-seconds, make sure sixteenths feel easy first: The Sixteenth Note is a good place to start.

Common questions

How many thirty-second notes are in a quarter note?

Eight. Two thirty-seconds make a sixteenth note, four make an eighth note, and eight make a quarter note.

Are thirty-second notes always fast?

No. Their real speed depends on the tempo. In a very slow movement, a run of thirty-second notes can move at a calm, singing pace.

Practice it: free worksheets