notes

A time signature tells you how the music is to be counted. the time signature is written at the beginning of the staff after the clef and key signature.
The top number of the time signature tells you how many beats to count.
The bottom number tells you what kind of note to count. That is whether to count the beats as quarter notes, eighth notes, or sixteenth notes.

notes indicates the length (number of counts) of musical sound.

	Whole notes last four beats.
	Half notes last two beats.
	Quarter notes last one beat.
Any note shorter than a quarter note has one or more "hooks" to indicate its length. Each hook cuts the note's length in half.
	Eighth notes (one hook) last one-half beat.
	Sixteenth notes (two hooks) last one-quarter beat.
These proceed on to thirty-second and sixty-fourth notes (with three and four hooks, respectively). If two or more notes requiring hooks appear in a row, they're often connected with "beams." The number of horizontal lines in a beam gives note length.
	Two eighth notes connected by a beam
Music also has rests, which indicate silent beats. Music rests are counted in the same way as music notes, and correspond to the notes they represent. Rest often requires that you stop the sound of your guitar strings. This process is called dampening the strings.
	Whole note rest last four beats
	Half note rest last two beats
	Quarter note rest last one beat
	Eighth note rest last one-half beat
	Sixteenth note rest last one-quarter beat