How is the duration of a pitch indicated?

How is the duration of a pitch indicated?

• A. By its tempo marking
• B. By its pitch name
• C. By the note-head, flags added to the stem, and small dots
• D. By the key signature

Answer: (C)

Note duration is shown by the note’s rhythmic value, encoded in its visual form. The note-head shape (filled or hollow) together with the presence or absence of a stem and the number of flags or beams tells you how long to hold the note. A dot after the note adds half of its value, stretching its duration. Tempo markings indicate how fast to play, not how long each note lasts, and key signatures or pitch names don’t specify duration. So the duration is indicated by the note-head, the flags added to the stem, and the small dots.

Note duration is shown by the note’s rhythmic value, encoded in its visual form. The note-head shape (filled or hollow) together with the presence or absence of a stem and the number of flags or beams tells you how long to hold the note. A dot after the note adds half of its value, stretching its duration. Tempo markings indicate how fast to play, not how long each note lasts, and key signatures or pitch names don’t specify duration. So the duration is indicated by the note-head, the flags added to the stem, and the small dots.