Counting Whole Notes on Piano

Today I'm going to talk to you about whole notes, as they relate to 4/4 time, also known as common time. In 4/4 time there are four beats per measure. A whole note, as the name implies, takes up a whole measure.

To understand the proper way to play a whole note, start your metronome. Hit a key on a click of the metronome and hold it for four clicks. On the fifth click, a new measure is starting and you should play the note again. Remember that the click that you start on counts as one click. So it goes: note click click click, note click click click, note click click click, etc.

Keep playing whole notes, holding them for four clicks and repeating on the fifth click until you have a feel for whole notes.

For the next lesson, I recommend you practice counting half notes.

Counting Piano Lessons

Learn how to count notes on the piano in this section on PianoMasteryLessons.blogspot.com! Understanding the importance of staying on time while playing the piano will not only improve your piano playing, but will make other musicians respect your playing and want to play with you. Knowing how to count while playing the piano is essential to your piano playing! Learn how to count whole notes, quarter notes, half notes, 8th notes, 8th note triplets, 16th notes, and 16th note triplets!