Whole notes

Rounds on the piano: What is a round?

The sweeps, it's easy ! It's a note that makes the sound last for an entire four-beat measure. In other words, when you play a note, the sound resonates for 4 full beats. It's like you're taking your time and extending the note.

Round has a particular appearance. It does not have a small stem attached to the notehead, which makes it recognizable. It's as if the note was wandering freely, without constraint.

So, the next time you see a whole note in a score, remember that you have to play it and hold it for 4 whole beats. It's an essential foundation if you want to play an easy piece on the piano. Furthermore, the more complex pieces that you will find in video on our site offer easy versions which often use the whole note.

Rounds on the piano: How to count them?

In this course, I'll explain the basics of whole notes in the context of 4/4 time, also known as common time. In 4/4, each measure is divided into four equal beats. Now imagine a whole (round) note; it occupies a whole measure in itself.

Now let's get down to practice to understand how to play a round correctly. Take your metronome and turn it on. When you hear the first click, press and hold a key for four consecutive clicks. From the fifth click, a new measure begins, and this is where you have to play the note again. Remember that the click you started on counts as the first beat. In summary, it goes like this: note click click click, note click click click, note click click click, and so on.

I hope these explanations help you understand the concept of notes and how to play them in 4/4 time. Have fun practicing!