whole note
Stemless staff oval
A whole note is a musical note with the longest standard duration, equal to four beats in common time.
It's written as an open oval without a stem.
Other note values are measured against it: a half note lasts half as long, a quarter note a quarter as long.
The passage ends on a whole note held for the full measure.
Thin flexible lines
- brassCopper-zinc metal mixture
- woodwindsInstruments played by blowing
- fermataSustained note symbol
- conductorOne who directs musicians
baton · downbeat · ensemble · unison · chord · pad · drone · symphony
Note lasting four beats
- staffOrganization's workers collectively
- ledger lineShort line extending staff
- clefStaff pitch indicator
- treble clefSymbol establishing high pitches
bass clef · score · sheet music · manuscript · engraving · music theory · sight-reading · transcription
semibreve
Note lasting four beats
rest · fermata · count · measure · bar · tempo · pulse · rhythm · legato · adagio
strings
Thin flexible lines
conductor · baton · downbeat · ensemble · unison · chord · pad · drone · symphony · philharmonic
semibreve
Note lasting four beats
- staffOrganization's workers collectively
- ledger lineShort line extending staff
- clefStaff pitch indicator
treble clef · bass clef · score · sheet music · manuscript · engraving · music theory · sight-reading · transcription · arrangement
- rhythmbeat, pulse, tempo, downbeat, upbeat
- kids musicsinging, songs, lullabies, nursery rhymes, alphabet songs
- music symbolstreble clef, bass clef, staff lines, sheet music
- music fundamentalsdo, re, mi, fa, sol
- music notationtreble clef, bass clef, clef, clefs, staff
- musical notationforte, score, piano, sheet music, notation
whole notesixty-fourth note
Smallest standard rhythmic value
thirty-second note · sixteenth note · semiquaver · eighth note · quarter note