Rhythm & Time

Subdivision

also called “dividing the beat”

The short version

Slicing one beat into smaller equal pieces.

A little more

One beat can hold one note, two, three, four or more. Two per beat = eighth notes (1-and), four per beat = sixteenths (1-e-and-a), three per beat = triplets.

Try it

Split one beat

Same tempo every time — only the slicing changes.

1 per beat1 — 2 — 3 — 4

2 per beat1 and 2 and

3 per beattrip-a-let

4 per beat1 e and a

Why you'd careChoosing a subdivision is choosing how busy the music feels without changing the tempo at all.

Where you'll see this in BDT

Break It Down →

Learn next

Quarter NoteOne note per beat — the plain 1, 2, 3, 4.Eighth NoteTwo notes per beat — count "1 and 2 and".Sixteenth NoteFour notes per beat — count "1 e and a".TripletThree even notes squeezed into the space of one beat.

88 words and counting in The Music Guide. Back to the guide