What The Heck Is A Quarter Note?
A quarter note is a note that represents the duration of one beat. In other words, it gets one beat.
It looks like this:
You remember that I told you that a song in standard (4/4) time gets 4 beats per measure, right? That would mean that the song would get 4 quarter notes per measure because a quarter note gets one beat. That’s why it’s called a quarter note. There are 4 quarters in a whole. For example, a dollar bill can be divided up into 4 quarters.
Quarter Note Guitar Strumming Exercise
The the strumming exercises below you are to play the chord progression in quarter notes. Each exercise has 4 measures and should be played in standard time. In the audio example above my metronome was set at 75 bpm.
Remember a quarter note gets one beat, so we will be strumming the chords on each beat.
Exercise 1:
Exercise 2:
Exercise 3:
Exercise 4:
Here’s Some Helpful Tips
- If you’re having trouble switching from chord to chord then you should try playing these exercises at a slower tempo with the metronome. Gradually increase the tempo as you get better.
- Pay close attention to your timing. Try not to play in front of the beat or behind the beat. Each strum should fall right on the beat.
- Try to play each chord as cleanly as possible. Each string rings out and you should hold the chord for the entire duration of the quarter note.