whole notes
Longest common duration
A whole note is a musical note with the longest duration in standard notation, lasting four beats in common time.
It appears as an open oval without a stem, distinguishing it from shorter notes like half notes or quarter notes.
Other note values are measured against it: a half note lasts half as long, a quarter note a quarter as long.
In British usage, the equivalent term is semibreve.
Note lasting four beats
- breveShort vowel indicator
- dottedMarked with small points
- tieEqual score, or neckwear
- restCessation of activity
beat · measure · tempo · time signature · fermata · sustained · held · bar
Notes sounded simultaneously
- rootUnderground absorbing structure
- bassDeep pitch or fish
- droneUnmanned flying machine
- tonicInvigorating medicinal drink
foundation · consonance · interval · triad · resolution · cadence · tonality · polyphony
Kept up continuously
- unadornedLacking decoration or ornament
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
- minimalistOne favoring bare essentials
- cleanFree of soil
unembellished · stark · spacious · meditative · ambient · stillness · repose · contemplative
semibreve
Note lasting four beats
rest · beat · measure · tempo · time signature · fermata · sustained · held · bar · legato
chord
Notes sounded simultaneously
tonic · foundation · consonance · interval · triad · resolution · cadence · tonality · polyphony · homophony
sustained
Kept up continuously
- unadornedLacking decoration or ornament
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
- minimalistOne favoring bare essentials
clean · unembellished · stark · spacious · meditative · ambient · stillness · repose · contemplative · unhurried
- rhythmsbeat, rhythm, syncopation, offbeat, cadence
- music basicsrests, beats, rhythm patterns, melody, clefs
- music notationtreble clef, bass clef, clef, clefs, staff
- musical notationforte, score, piano, sheet music, lead sheet
- piano basicshand position, curved fingers, middle C, white keys, black keys
- sheet musicsheet music, treble clef, score, scores, bass clef
whole notessixteenth notes
Brief musical duration units
thirty-second notes · eighth notes · semiquavers · quarter notes · quavers
whole, note, wholly, wholeness, wholesome, wholesomeness, wholes, notes, noted