NotePlayMusic1. Group notes within each beat
Based on ABRSM’s Discovering Music Theory, Grade 2 Workbook, pages 19–22. Independent lesson; original examples.
| Note | Equals | Also equals |
|---|---|---|
2 × | 4 × | |
4 × | 8 × | |
+ | 3 × | |
+2 × | + |
Start with one group per beat. Add mixed values without changing their order; a dot adds half the original value.
Mixed values still add up to one crotchet
Keep these mixed values in crotchet groups: 1+1+1+1, then 2+1+1, then 3+1 semiquavers.
Keep the minim beat in view
, beat 1: 2+1+1+2+2 semiquavers = one minim. Beat 2: crotchet + two quavers. Only the short notes receive beams.
In , how many ordinary quavers fill ONE beat?
In this bar, which description correctly counts the first beam group?
2. Beams may cross beats in and
- : four quavers may share one beam across both beats.
- : four quavers may span two beats; six may span the whole bar.
- Separate beat groups are also valid. A cross-beat beam is not automatically wrong.
- Stop beams at the barline.
Two valid ways to show the same rhythm
Same notes, same timing. Both groupings are valid in .
This bar has one beam over all four quavers. Must it be split?
3. In , keep the middle of the bar visible
- Group ordinary quavers in pairs or fours.
- Four-quaver groups may cover beats 1–2 or 3–4, but not beats 2–3.
- Break the beam at the halfway point: between beats 2 and 3.
- For mixed quavers and semiquavers, show the crotchet beats clearly.
Break the beam between beats 2 and 3
Break the incorrect beam just before beat 3. Do not change any note lengths.
Which version keeps the halfway point clear?
4. In , group the short notes by the bar
- = three quaver beats per bar.
- Beam quavers and semiquavers together across the whole bar.
- Use 3 quavers, 6 semiquavers, or a mixture with the same total duration.
- Do not split six semiquavers into three separate pairs in these ABRSM Grade 2 exercises.
Join all three quavers
For these Grade 2 grouping exercises, beam all three quavers together.
Join all six semiquavers too
Same notes and timing; uses a whole-bar beam, not a break at each beat.
Which version groups these six semiquavers by the bar?
5. Long notes do not need a tie at every beat
- A tie curves between notes of the same pitch: hold them as one sound.
- A beam groups separate short notes. It does not join them into one sound.
- Within a bar, prefer one suitable note value over unnecessary ties at each beat.
- A minim lasts 2 crotchets; a dotted minim lasts 3. A semibreve lasts 2 minims.
- A held sound crossing a barline still needs a tie.
One held sound, without unnecessary joins
Both hold one sound for three beats. The tied version is needlessly complicated, not a different rhythm.
Which fills the whole bar without unnecessary ties?
6. Triplets and beams over rests
Now use the same grouping rules on a stave. The note positions show pitch; the durations and beam rules stay the same.
- Triplet = 3 notes in the usual time of 2. Keep the triplet 3 visible.
- 3 triplet quavers = 1 crotchet; 3 triplet semiquavers = 1 quaver.
- Apply the same beat and bar grouping principles to triplets.
- A rest is a silent slot, not extra time. It can replace a note inside a triplet.
- A beam may cross a rest if it makes the group clearer. The rest stays silent.
A silent slot inside a triplet
Beat 1: sound, silence, sound. Beat 2: three sounds. Each triplet takes one crotchet beat.
One beat can include a rest under the beam
Four semiquaver slots; one is silent. The beam joins the sounding notes across the rest.
What to notice: When a group straddles the middle staff line, stem direction follows the majority: below points up, above points down. Here, two notes are above: stems down.
The rest in this triplet occupies how much of the crotchet beat?
7. Whole-bar silence uses one whole-bar rest
- Whole bar silent? Use one centred semibreve-rest symbol in all these Grade 2 time signatures.
- It hangs below a staff line. Here it means “the whole bar”, not always four crotchets.
- : three silent quavers. : three silent minims. : four silent minims.
- Do not replace a whole-bar rest with separate rests for every beat.
A completely silent bar
The whole-bar symbol means three quavers of silence here, not four crotchets.
The same rule applies in
Here the whole-bar symbol means four minims of silence. Read the time signature.
A complete bar is silent. Which notation should you choose?
8. Half-bar silence is not the same as any two beats
- : a silent first half (beats 1–2) or last half (3–4) uses one minim rest.
- : a silent half-bar uses one crotchet rest.
- beats 2–3 cross the centre: use two crotchet rests, not one minim rest.
- Otherwise, use one rest per complete silent beat: crotchet rests in ; minim rests in , and .
- Minim rest: sits on a line. Semibreve rest: hangs below a line.
Silent last half of : use one rest
Use the half-bar exception: combine these two crotchet rests into one minim rest.
Silent middle beats of : use two rests
Beats 2–3 are not a half-bar. Keep the two crotchet rests separate.
In , keep separate silent beats separate
The half-bar exception above does not apply to . Use one rest per silent beat.
In , each silent beat needs a minim rest
A beat is a minim here. The bar is not wholly silent: do not use a whole-bar rest.
In , notes sound on beats 1 and 4 only. How should beats 2 and 3 be written?
Which version follows the separate-silent-beat rule?
9. Partial beats: finish the beat before joining silence
- Finish a partly used beat with a short rest before writing the rest for the next beat.
- Keep half-beats visible too: separate shorter rests can be clearer than one dotted rest.
- In the example: finish the first half-beat with a semiquaver rest, then use a quaver rest for the second half.
- Check in order: beat unit, total duration, beams, then rests. Notes and rests follow different grouping rules.
Make the two halves of beat 1 visible
Beat 1: note + semiquaver rest | quaver rest. The split shows both half-beats.
In , an opening quaver sounds, then the rest of the bar is silent. What follows the note?
Practise what you just learned
1. Which bar groups the quavers into its three minim beats?
2. Is this six-quaver beam acceptable in ?
3. Where must this beam be broken?
4. Which grouping should replace this pattern?
5. In , the first two beats are silent and the last two contain crotchets. Which version is clearest?
6. In , only the first quaver sounds. Which version gives each silent beat its own rest?
7. Is the beam over this semiquaver rest automatically a mistake?
8. After the first semiquaver in , the rest of beat 1 is silent. Which spelling shows its half-beats clearly?
Sources and scope
ABRSM: Discovering Music Theory, The ABRSM Grade 2 Workbook
Primary teaching reference: Chapter 4, Rhythm (Part 3), pages 19–22 in the supplied edition: grouping notes, grouping across multiple beats, and grouping rests, including the stem-direction and triplet tips. Checked against reader-supplied photographs on 28 October 2026. Explanations, melodies and questions here are original; the workbook pages and exercises are not reproduced.
ABRSM Music Theory syllabus: Grades 1–5, from 2020
Grade 1 includes grouping in 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. Grade 2 adds 2/2, 3/2, 4/2 and 3/8, and triplets including rests. This official outline establishes the scope; the workbook supplies the detailed grouping guidance. This lesson covers that grouping topic, not the entire Grade 2 syllabus.
Independent learning resource; not affiliated with or endorsed by ABRSM.