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Music Maestro resources
Free Grade 1 rhythm practice

Note values that Grade 1 students should know cold

Use this page when a student can play the piece but still hesitates over rhythm names, beats and simple time signatures. Read the rule, answer the questions, then continue into the free interactive drill.

Independent resource: Music Maestro is not affiliated with or endorsed by AMEB. These are original practice questions for early piano theory and rhythm revision, not official examination questions.

Want the app to mark answers?

Start with a short free Grade 1 drill, then return to the worksheet if a rule is still shaky.

Open the free note-values drill

The quick rule sheet

Semibreve

Usually worth 4 crotchet beats in simple time.

Minim

Worth 2 crotchet beats. A dotted minim is worth 3.

Crotchet

Worth 1 beat when the lower number of the time signature is 4.

Quaver

Worth half a crotchet beat. Two quavers equal one crotchet.

Dotted notes

The dot adds half of the original note value.

Simple time

In 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, count crotchet beats in each bar.

Eight original practice questions

01How many crotchet beats is a minim worth?

Show answer
2 beats. A minim lasts twice as long as a crotchet.

02How many crotchet beats is a dotted minim worth?

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3 beats. The minim is 2 beats and the dot adds half of 2, which is 1 more beat.

03How many quavers equal one crotchet?

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2 quavers. Each quaver is half a crotchet beat.

04How many crotchet beats belong in one bar of 3/4?

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3 beats. The top number tells you how many beats are in the bar; the lower 4 means crotchet beats.

05A bar of 4/4 contains one minim. How many crotchet beats are still needed?

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2 beats. A full 4/4 bar needs 4 crotchet beats. The minim already uses 2.

06A dotted crotchet equals how many quavers?

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3 quavers. A crotchet is 2 quavers and the dot adds 1 quaver.

07Which is longer: a crotchet rest or a minim rest?

Show answer
A minim rest. It is worth 2 crotchet beats; a crotchet rest is worth 1.

08In 2/4, can one semibreve fit inside a single bar?

Show answer
No. A semibreve is 4 crotchet beats, but a 2/4 bar only has 2 crotchet beats.

A five-minute parent routine

  1. Ask the student to tap a steady crotchet pulse on the piano lid.
  2. Point to one note value and ask, “How many beats?”
  3. Ask them to explain the dotted-note rule in their own words.
  4. Finish with one short interactive set, not a long worksheet.

Common mistakes to listen for

If the student says “a dotted minim is two and a half,” they may know that dots add something but not that the dot adds half of the original note. If they count every bar by note names instead of beats, return to clapping the pulse first.

Rhythm knowledge becomes more useful when it is connected back to the current piano piece. Ask the student to find a minim, crotchet, rest or dotted note in their own score after answering the worksheet questions.

Continue with free interactive practice

Grade 1 note-values practice is free and needs no account. The app gives immediate feedback after each answer.

Open the free note-values drillReview the full Grade 1 guide