Sixteenth Notes Made Easy

Learning how to count sixteenth notes is a rite of passage for students who are moving into intermediate level literature.

However, sixteenth notes can look intimidating--and many students struggle with counting and playing sixteenth notes accurately.

Let's take the mystery out of sixteenth notes! In this article, I'll share how I break down sixteenth notes with my students, including examples of how sixteenth notes fit into a measure and how they appear in combination with other notes and rests.

We'll also cover the 6 most commonly used sixteenth note patterns, with 3 FREE practice worksheets that will help students of all ages become pros at counting sixteenth notes!

Keep reading to learn more...

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I like to introduce sixteenth notes in 5 progressive steps.

Step 1: Understanding how sixteenth notes fit into a measure.

Sixteenth notes get their name from the fact that in 4/4 time, 16 of them can fit into one measure. This means that there can be four sixteenth notes per beat in 4/4 time, like this:​

To understand how sixteenth notes fit into a measure, it helps to subdivide each beat into four equal parts. There are several different counting methods for doing this, but I've shown my favorite method below:

Sixteenth notes may also be used in groupings with eighth notes, like in the example below. Notice that the notes are always beamed in such a way that you can clearly see each beat in the measure.

Step 2: Learning the most common groupings of sixteenth notes.

Sixteenth notes may look complex, but it helps to know that they can only be grouped a few different ways! Once students learn the sound of the most common groupings of sixteenth notes, they will be able to play them accurately without having to count the subdivisions of every measure.

Here are the most common groupings of sixteenth notes that are found in sheet music. Below each example is a rhythm word that will help students remember the sound of each grouping, as well as the subdivisions of the beat that we covered in step 1.

Have students tap each rhythm and say the rhythm word to memorize the sound of each grouping. (These examples also appear at the top of each of the 3 free worksheets linked farther down in this article.)

Step 3: Don't forget about rests!

Sometimes you might see the sixteenth note rhythms in the examples above with a rest in place of one or more of the notes in the group. Reassure your students that even though this can make the rhythms look more complicated, they are still counted the exact same way!

​Here is an example which features some of these common patterns with a rest in place of one of the notes:

Step 4: Putting it all together.

Once students understand sixteenth notes and rests, how they fit into a measure, and the most common groupings in which they appear, the next step is to practice counting and clapping these rhythms in different combinations.

Below are 3 worksheets that will help students get comfortable counting sixteenth note rhythms. Click on the images below to download a free PDF of each worksheet!
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Step 5: Playing sixteenth notes in repertoire.

​Once students are comfortable clapping and counting sixteenth notes, it is time to try playing them on the piano! Below are 4 fun, early to mid-intermediate level pieces that feature sixteenth note rhythms throughout.

​Click on the cover image to see and hear each piece or to purchase the sheet music.

What do you think? Do you have students who struggle with sixteenth notes? What tricks do you have for making them easier to understand? Let us know in the comments!