Part 2 · Reading Rhythm · Chapter 12
Longer notes have hollow (open) note heads. A half note has a stem and lasts two beats. A whole note has no stem and lasts four beats, a whole bar of 4/4.
A drum can’t hold a sound the way a violin can, so you play the note once and then keep counting until its time is up. The count is what matters.
Play on 1 and 3. Count 2 and 4 out loud.
Play on 1, then count 2 3 4.
Half, quarter, quarter; then a whole note.
A dot after a note adds half its value. A dotted half note lasts three beats: that fills a whole bar of 3/4.
One note, then count 2 and 3.