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quarter note

American  

noun

Music.
  1. a note equivalent to one fourth of a whole note; a crotchet.


quarter note British  

noun

  1. Also called: crotchet. music a note having the time value of a quarter of a semibreve

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of quarter note

First recorded in 1755–65


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

We settled on three music notes — one quarter note, one eighth and one sixteenth — in a triangular cluster.

From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2021

“I’m still looking for the music in between the sentences,” Densmore says, taking a quick quarter note rest, perfectly paced.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 5, 2017

It’s difficult to lose yourself when you’re hyperconscious of cadence; eventually, the thud of each quarter note starts to amplify the jarring lag before your own sneaker hits the ground.

From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2015

It traverses wit and melancholy, surrealism and truth without missing a quarter note.

From Time Magazine Archive

The same length may be written as a half note and a quarter note tied together.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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