A half note is a note played for twice the duration of a quarter note. In time signatures with a denominator of 4, such as 4/4 or 3/4 time, the half note is two beats long.

It looks like this:

You can think of the half note as dividing the whole note into two. This means you’re playing a given note or chord twice for every one time you play a whole note.

A half note is a note played for twice the duration of a quarter note. In time signatures with a denominator of 4, such as 4/4 or 3/4 time, the half note is two beats long.

It looks like this:

You can think of the half note as dividing the whole note into two. This means you’re playing a given note or chord twice for every one time you play a whole note.