Beams show the beats

A beat at a time

Beams group the notes a beat at a time. That is so a player can see where each beat starts. Two quavers make one beat, so they are beamed in pairs. Four semiquavers make one beat, so they are beamed in fours.

Never in threes

In , six quavers beamed in threes look like two big beats. But the bar has three beats, not two. Each crotchet beat should be its own group. So the six quavers go in three pairs.

Never across the middle

In , four quavers can share one beam. That is allowed over beats 1 and 2, or beats 3 and 4. But never across the middle of the bar. The middle of the bar must always be easy to see.

Remember

• Beam a beat at a time: quavers in pairs, semiquavers in fours.
• In : three pairs, never threes.
• In : never a beam across the middle of the bar.