Printable worksheet
Bar completion worksheet
Free printable bar completion worksheet: add the one note or rest that fills each bar. Simple and compound time, three levels, answer key on its own page.
Bar completion worksheet
Sheet #
Name Date Score /
Answer key
Bar completion worksheet · Sheet #
How to use it
- Choose a difficulty, the type of time signature and whether to add notes, rests or both, then press New worksheet.
- Work out how much one bar holds: in 3/4 that is three quarter-note beats, in 6/8 two dotted-quarter beats (six eighth notes).
- Add up the notes and rests already in the bar. The difference is the missing length, always at the end of the bar.
- Write the single note or rest of that length, then use Show answers or print the answer page to check.
Each question shows one bar with its time signature and leaves out the last note or rest. Your job is to work out the missing length and write the one note or rest that makes the bar add up exactly.
How to work it out#
- Find the bar total. In simple time the top number counts the beats and the bottom number names the beat note. In compound time (6, 9 or 12 on top) the beat is a dotted note, so 6/8 is two beats, 9/8 three and 12/8 four.
- Add what is already there. Count in beats, using halves and quarters of a beat for eighth and sixteenth notes.
- Subtract. What remains is the missing value.
Difficulty levels#
- Easy: whole, half, quarter and eighth values in 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, or 6/8 and 9/8 for compound time.
- Medium: adds sixteenth notes, eighth rests, dotted halves and dotted quarters, and 12/8.
- Hard: adds dotted rhythms and syncopated figures, plus 2/2, 3/8 and 5/4.
For compound time the answer key also gives the length as a fraction of a beat (an eighth note is 1/3 of a dotted-quarter beat). Rhythms are printed on a single-line staff, so the pitch does not matter.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the missing value in a bar?
Subtract. A bar of 4/4 holds four quarter-note beats; if the notes shown add up to 2 1/2 beats, 1 1/2 beats are missing, which is a dotted quarter note or dotted quarter rest.
How many beats does a bar of 6/8 hold?
Two beats, each a dotted quarter note. The bar holds six eighth notes, grouped in threes, so 6/8 counts as 1-2 even though there are six eighth-note pulses.
Can a bar be completed with a rest instead of a note?
Yes. A rest of the same length fills the bar equally well. Use the Add a setting to practise notes, rests, or a mix of the two.
Why is only one note or rest missing?
One value keeps the exercise about subtraction and note values. Every missing length can be written as a single note or rest, so there is exactly one length to find.