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Learn to draw quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes by placing note heads, stems, and flags with a clear convention and self-check rubric.
This lesson teaches a repeatable way to draw musical notes with stems and flags. You will use a simple convention: the note head is an oval, the stem is a straight line attached to the right side of the head, and flags curve from the stem tip. Because handwriting varies, the rubric accepts any clear, consistent note that follows the stated construction rules. All practice uses plain paper and a pencil; no printed staff is required, though a ruler-drawn baseline helps.
Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.
Use the stated measurements and conventions for each exercise.
A note head is an oval, slightly wider than tall. Draw it so its center sits on the baseline you are using. The stem is a straight vertical line attached to the right edge of the note head. For notes below the middle line of a staff, the stem normally goes up from the right side; for notes on or above the middle line, the stem normally goes down from the left side. In this lesson, use the up-stem convention for all practice unless a task says otherwise.
A flag is a curved stroke that begins at the stem tip and sweeps toward the note head. One flag makes an eighth note; two flags make a sixteenth note. Flags should not touch the note head and should not cross the stem. Keep the curve smooth and open, like a small hook.
Use the note head as your unit. A comfortable stem length is about three note-head heights. Flags should be about one head-height long. Leave at least one head-width between neighboring notes so flags do not collide. If you draw a row of notes, keep the baseline consistent and align the note-head centers.
These proportions are a convention for clear handwriting, not a universal standard. Any consistent proportion that keeps the note readable is acceptable under the rubric.
After drawing, check four things: the head is an oval, the stem is straight and attached to the correct side, the flag count matches the note type, and flags do not touch the head. If a stem is slanted, redraw it as a straight line. If a flag crosses the stem, lift the curve away from the stem.
Use the rubric below to score your own page. A score of 3 or 4 on each row means the note is clear enough for another reader to identify.
Draw one eighth note using the up-stem convention. Describe each part and give a check.
Draw a light baseline. Place an oval note head with its center on the baseline. Attach a straight vertical stem to the right edge of the head, about three head-heights long. From the stem tip, draw one flag curving down toward the head without touching it. Check: head is oval, stem is straight and on the right, one flag, no overlap.
Draw a quarter note with an up-stem. State the stem length you used in note-head heights.
An oval head on the baseline with a straight up-stem on the right side and no flags. A stem of about three head-heights is acceptable.
Why: A quarter note has a head and stem but no flag. The up-stem convention places the stem on the right.
Check: Confirm the head is oval, the stem is straight and on the right, and there are zero flags.
Draw two eighth notes side by side with up-stems. Keep at least one head-width between them.
Two oval heads on the same baseline, each with a straight up-stem on the right and one flag. The heads are separated by at least one head-width.
Why: Each eighth note has one flag. Spacing prevents flags from colliding.
Check: Count one flag per note, check stem side, and confirm the gap between heads is at least one head-width.
Draw one sixteenth note with an up-stem. Describe where the second flag goes.
An oval head with a straight up-stem and two flags. The second flag sits below the first, parallel and evenly spaced, not touching the head.
Why: A sixteenth note has two flags. Even spacing keeps the note readable.
Check: Count two flags, check they are parallel and do not touch the head or cross the stem.
A student draws an eighth note with the stem on the left and two flags. Identify two errors and state the fixes.
Error one: stem on the left for an up-stem note; fix by attaching it to the right edge. Error two: two flags for an eighth note; fix by using one flag.
Why: The up-stem convention places the stem on the right, and an eighth note has one flag.
Check: Check stem side and flag count against the stated convention.
No. A ruler-drawn baseline is enough for this lesson. A staff row is planned as a printable resource but is not required to complete the exercises.
Use the convention in this lesson: flags curve from the stem tip toward the note head. Other handwriting styles exist, but stay consistent within one page.
About three note-head heights is a clear convention. Any consistent length that keeps flags readable is acceptable.
A slightly irregular oval is fine if it is clearly wider than tall and centered on the baseline.