Understanding the meaning and function of musical symbols such as a whole note and half note will increase your appreciation of music, whether you are a performer, composer, or just an avid listener of music. The location of a note on a staff indicates the note to be played; the shape and form of the note indicate how long it should be played.
A Brief History
Our modern system of musical notation was developed out of the Medieval mensural notation system. The mensural notation was an offshoot of the notation developed from that used with plainsong. Plainsong notation used diamonds and squares on a staff to tell the performer what the correct sequence of pitches was; mensural notation added the systematic use of different shapes to indicate the length that the notes should be played—mensural used a series of rectangles, diamonds, and squares.
The shapes and notation have evolved since then. In modern transcription, developed around 1600, notes are indicated on a staff of music by a combination of symbols. Those symbols include an open oval, a closed oval, and ovals with straight staffs and flags.
The longest note used in modern music is the double whole note, ironically called “breve” or “short” in Italian. That’s because, during the middle ages, it really was one of the shortest lengths in use.
Common Note Symbols in Modern Music Notation
The most common notes used in modern music today are described in the table below.
Types of Notes
American British Italian
A double whole note, represented by two open ovals with no stem, has the time value of eight beats and lasts twice as long as a whole note. breve breve
A whole note, represented by an open oval with no stem, has the time value of four beats and is equivalent to two half notes or four quarter notes. semibreve semibreve
A half note, represented by an open oval with a stem, has a time value of two beats. minim minima
A quarter note has the time value of a half of a half note or one beat and is indicated by a filled oval with a stem. crotchet semiminima
An eighth note has the time value of the half of a quarter note or a half of a beat and is indicated by a filled oval, a stem, and one flag. quaver croma
A sixteenth note is one half of an eighth note, is indicated by a filled oval, a stem and two flags. semiquaver semicroma
Sources:
Burkholder JP, and Grout DJ. 2014. A History of Western Music: Ninth International Student Edition: WW Norton & Company. Tuck ML. 1966. Tablature Notation in the Sixteenth Century. Music Educators Journal 53(1):121-123. Sachs C. 1948. Some Remarks about Old Notation. The Musical Quarterly 34(3):365-370.
The Italian Commands of Piano Music
Common Time in Music Notation
Types of Rests and Pauses in Music
Types of Musical Texture
Reading Music: Tied Notes
Types of Clarinets
Types of Bass Instruments
Types of Operas
A Word on Titles
An Introduction to the Elements of Music
4 Common Clefs Often Used in Music
Table of Intervals in Music Theory
The Best Piano Method Books for Children
whole note
Ensembles: Making Beautiful Music Together
Types of Song Structure
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Understanding the meaning and function of musical symbols such as a whole note and half note will increase your appreciation of music, whether you are a performer, composer, or just an avid listener of music. The location of a note on a staff indicates the note to be played; the shape and form of the note indicate how long it should be played.
A Brief History
Our modern system of musical notation was developed out of the Medieval mensural notation system. The mensural notation was an offshoot of the notation developed from that used with plainsong. Plainsong notation used diamonds and squares on a staff to tell the performer what the correct sequence of pitches was; mensural notation added the systematic use of different shapes to indicate the length that the notes should be played—mensural used a series of rectangles, diamonds, and squares.
The shapes and notation have evolved since then. In modern transcription, developed around 1600, notes are indicated on a staff of music by a combination of symbols. Those symbols include an open oval, a closed oval, and ovals with straight staffs and flags.
The longest note used in modern music is the double whole note, ironically called “breve” or “short” in Italian. That’s because, during the middle ages, it really was one of the shortest lengths in use.
Common Note Symbols in Modern Music Notation
The most common notes used in modern music today are described in the table below.
Types of Notes
American British Italian
A double whole note, represented by two open ovals with no stem, has the time value of eight beats and lasts twice as long as a whole note. breve breve
A whole note, represented by an open oval with no stem, has the time value of four beats and is equivalent to two half notes or four quarter notes. semibreve semibreve
A half note, represented by an open oval with a stem, has a time value of two beats. minim minima
A quarter note has the time value of a half of a half note or one beat and is indicated by a filled oval with a stem. crotchet semiminima
An eighth note has the time value of the half of a quarter note or a half of a beat and is indicated by a filled oval, a stem, and one flag. quaver croma
A sixteenth note is one half of an eighth note, is indicated by a filled oval, a stem and two flags. semiquaver semicroma
Sources:
Burkholder JP, and Grout DJ. 2014. A History of Western Music: Ninth International Student Edition: WW Norton & Company. Tuck ML. 1966. Tablature Notation in the Sixteenth Century. Music Educators Journal 53(1):121-123. Sachs C. 1948. Some Remarks about Old Notation. The Musical Quarterly 34(3):365-370.
The Italian Commands of Piano Music
Common Time in Music Notation
Types of Rests and Pauses in Music
Types of Musical Texture
Reading Music: Tied Notes
Types of Clarinets
Types of Bass Instruments
Types of Operas
A Word on Titles
An Introduction to the Elements of Music
4 Common Clefs Often Used in Music
Table of Intervals in Music Theory
The Best Piano Method Books for Children
whole note
Ensembles: Making Beautiful Music Together
Types of Song Structure
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
Understanding the meaning and function of musical symbols such as a whole note and half note will increase your appreciation of music, whether you are a performer, composer, or just an avid listener of music. The location of a note on a staff indicates the note to be played; the shape and form of the note indicate how long it should be played.
A Brief History
Our modern system of musical notation was developed out of the Medieval mensural notation system. The mensural notation was an offshoot of the notation developed from that used with plainsong. Plainsong notation used diamonds and squares on a staff to tell the performer what the correct sequence of pitches was; mensural notation added the systematic use of different shapes to indicate the length that the notes should be played—mensural used a series of rectangles, diamonds, and squares.
The shapes and notation have evolved since then. In modern transcription, developed around 1600, notes are indicated on a staff of music by a combination of symbols. Those symbols include an open oval, a closed oval, and ovals with straight staffs and flags.
The longest note used in modern music is the double whole note, ironically called “breve” or “short” in Italian. That’s because, during the middle ages, it really was one of the shortest lengths in use.
Common Note Symbols in Modern Music Notation
The most common notes used in modern music today are described in the table below.
Types of Notes
American British Italian
A double whole note, represented by two open ovals with no stem, has the time value of eight beats and lasts twice as long as a whole note. breve breve
A whole note, represented by an open oval with no stem, has the time value of four beats and is equivalent to two half notes or four quarter notes. semibreve semibreve
A half note, represented by an open oval with a stem, has a time value of two beats. minim minima
A quarter note has the time value of a half of a half note or one beat and is indicated by a filled oval with a stem. crotchet semiminima
An eighth note has the time value of the half of a quarter note or a half of a beat and is indicated by a filled oval, a stem, and one flag. quaver croma
A sixteenth note is one half of an eighth note, is indicated by a filled oval, a stem and two flags. semiquaver semicroma
Sources:
Burkholder JP, and Grout DJ. 2014. A History of Western Music: Ninth International Student Edition: WW Norton & Company. Tuck ML. 1966. Tablature Notation in the Sixteenth Century. Music Educators Journal 53(1):121-123. Sachs C. 1948. Some Remarks about Old Notation. The Musical Quarterly 34(3):365-370.
Understanding the meaning and function of musical symbols such as a whole note and half note will increase your appreciation of music, whether you are a performer, composer, or just an avid listener of music. The location of a note on a staff indicates the note to be played; the shape and form of the note indicate how long it should be played.
A Brief History
Our modern system of musical notation was developed out of the Medieval mensural notation system. The mensural notation was an offshoot of the notation developed from that used with plainsong. Plainsong notation used diamonds and squares on a staff to tell the performer what the correct sequence of pitches was; mensural notation added the systematic use of different shapes to indicate the length that the notes should be played—mensural used a series of rectangles, diamonds, and squares.
The shapes and notation have evolved since then. In modern transcription, developed around 1600, notes are indicated on a staff of music by a combination of symbols. Those symbols include an open oval, a closed oval, and ovals with straight staffs and flags.
The longest note used in modern music is the double whole note, ironically called “breve” or “short” in Italian. That’s because, during the middle ages, it really was one of the shortest lengths in use.
Common Note Symbols in Modern Music Notation
The most common notes used in modern music today are described in the table below.
Types of Notes
American British Italian
A double whole note, represented by two open ovals with no stem, has the time value of eight beats and lasts twice as long as a whole note. breve breve
A whole note, represented by an open oval with no stem, has the time value of four beats and is equivalent to two half notes or four quarter notes. semibreve semibreve
A half note, represented by an open oval with a stem, has a time value of two beats. minim minima
A quarter note has the time value of a half of a half note or one beat and is indicated by a filled oval with a stem. crotchet semiminima
An eighth note has the time value of the half of a quarter note or a half of a beat and is indicated by a filled oval, a stem, and one flag. quaver croma
A sixteenth note is one half of an eighth note, is indicated by a filled oval, a stem and two flags. semiquaver semicroma
Sources:
Burkholder JP, and Grout DJ. 2014. A History of Western Music: Ninth International Student Edition: WW Norton & Company. Tuck ML. 1966. Tablature Notation in the Sixteenth Century. Music Educators Journal 53(1):121-123. Sachs C. 1948. Some Remarks about Old Notation. The Musical Quarterly 34(3):365-370.
Sources:
Burkholder JP, and Grout DJ. 2014. A History of Western Music: Ninth International Student Edition: WW Norton & Company.
Tuck ML. 1966. Tablature Notation in the Sixteenth Century. Music Educators Journal 53(1):121-123.
Sachs C. 1948. Some Remarks about Old Notation. The Musical Quarterly 34(3):365-370.
The Italian Commands of Piano Music
Common Time in Music Notation
Types of Rests and Pauses in Music
Types of Musical Texture
Reading Music: Tied Notes
Types of Clarinets
Types of Bass Instruments
Types of Operas
A Word on Titles
An Introduction to the Elements of Music
4 Common Clefs Often Used in Music
Table of Intervals in Music Theory
The Best Piano Method Books for Children
whole note
Ensembles: Making Beautiful Music Together
Types of Song Structure
The Italian Commands of Piano Music
The Italian Commands of Piano Music
Common Time in Music Notation
Common Time in Music Notation
Types of Rests and Pauses in Music
Types of Rests and Pauses in Music
Types of Musical Texture
Types of Musical Texture
Reading Music: Tied Notes
Reading Music: Tied Notes
Types of Clarinets
Types of Clarinets
Types of Bass Instruments
Types of Bass Instruments
Types of Operas
Types of Operas
A Word on Titles
A Word on Titles
An Introduction to the Elements of Music
An Introduction to the Elements of Music
4 Common Clefs Often Used in Music
4 Common Clefs Often Used in Music
Table of Intervals in Music Theory
Table of Intervals in Music Theory
The Best Piano Method Books for Children
The Best Piano Method Books for Children
whole note
whole note
Ensembles: Making Beautiful Music Together
Ensembles: Making Beautiful Music Together
Types of Song Structure
Types of Song Structure
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
Home
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
About Us
Advertise
Careers
Privacy Policy
Editorial Guidelines
Contact
Terms of Use
EU Privacy
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
