Eighth notes are musical notes that represent one-eighth of a whole note's duration. In standard music notation, they are typically represented by a filled-in oval note head with a stem and one flag. When two or more eighth notes are connected by a beam, they are often grouped together for easier reading. In 4/4 time, which is a common time signature, there are eight eighth notes in one measure. Eighth notes can be counted as "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and," allowing musicians to play faster rhythms and add more complexity to their music.