Grouping and Beaming Notes in 4/4: Grade 1 & 2 Music Theory
Trinity London College of Music Syllabus | Simple Quadruple [4/4] Time
Introduction
In order to understand grouping and beaming in a common ([4/4]) time signature, one must first know which notes have “strong” and “weak” beats. In 4/4 the 1st and 3rd beat is considered strong. However, the 3rd beat is not as strong as the 1st.
In this article, the 1st beat is referred to as the “primary strong” beat and the 3rd is called the “secondary strong” beat. The second and fourth beats are both “weak”.
Take note of the “hidden barrier” or the midpoint/middle of the bare/measure. The reason why we do this is so that orchestral conductors can see the middle of the bar and the beat divisions more clearly. This is important when reading scores with many instruments.
When it comes to grouping and beaming, one must follow some preliminary rules. These rules will be discussed in the forthcoming sections.
Grouping and Beaming Quavers
Rule #1: when you see quavers in 4/4 they must be grouped and beamed in sets of 4 (This is also standard practice in [2/4]).
Rule #2: It is important not to beam over the middle of the bar/measure. It would be incorrect to beam 4 quavers over the middle. In this case, the quavers should be grouped in sets of 2. Refer to the correct and incorrect examples below.
Tip: The grouping and beaming of notes need to clarify where the next strong beat appears. In other words, you don't want to connect/beam a weak beat going to a strong one. You want to be able to identify where the strong beat begins easily.
Established composers sometimes break the rules. For example, the following example makes it easier to see the beat divisions. One can “neatly” see beats 1, 2, 3, and 4 grouped together. This is a rare exception and it can be visualised as follows.
The above example is not ideal and is not recommended. In theory, the weaker beats should be beamed together with the stronger beats. When the weaker beats are not beamed with the preceding stronger beats, then one may be inclined to play the 2nd and 4th weak beats with too much force.
Here are other correct examples (notice the middle line and the grouping of 4 quavers):
Grouping and Beaming Semiquavers
Rule #3: Semiquavers are usually grouped into units of 4 (this also holds true for 3/4 and 2/4).
Confusion might arise here because it seems to conform to the aforementioned exception in which one can see the neat beat divisions. In other words, the first (strong) and second (weak) beats are joined together.
If we attempt to follow rule #2 and beam the strong and weak beats together then you will notice that it becomes difficult and overwhelming to read and count. Therefore, it is not recommended to group semiquavers as illustrated in the example below.
The following example shows you how you can effectively connect quavers and semiquavers.
Note Values that Ring Over the Beat
The following example does not count as an exception because there is no way to group or beam longer note values unless they are tied. In this example, it is acceptable to have longer note values (the minim) extend over the midpoint of the bar/measure.
Rule #4: notes with white-open heads are allowed to cross over the midpoint (see this reference).
However, When it comes to tied notes, it would be incorrect to tie two minims together.
Use a semibreve instead because writing two minims and a tie would essentially waste ink. This is an important general rule to follow for music theory (am I wasting ink unnesesarily?).
As a general rule, when tying or grouping notes think in terms of what would save the most ink. Early composers would have used ink and feathers which was costly, so they were not inclined to add unnecessary ink markings. this is especially applicable when it comes to rests
Exception for Rests
Always keep in mind that one cannot tie together rests. It is always best to use the biggest value possible. But it is important to note that rests still function as if they were “grouped notes” or “tied” (see below for an example).
Rule #5: when there are 2 or 3 beats of silence it is best to use crotchet rests. Minim rests must not go over the middle barrier (minim rests can only go where 4 beamed quavers can).
Concluding Remarks
In closing, the art of proper groupings and beaming takes practice and familiarity. Don’t expect to get it overnight. It's almost like reading a word and knowing how to pronounce it, even if the spelling suggests something else entirely.