crotchet
7.4
A musical note that lasts for one beat in most music
- noun
- /ˈkwɔrtər noʊt/
- UK
:
negra
- The sheet music includes several crotchets that keep the rhythm steady.
- crotchet and quaver
Examples
-
In music class, we learned that a crotchet is worth one beat in a measure.
-
Those boys are the crotchets and the quavers.
-
Crotchet G, pause for a quaver, repeat G quaver, then E-flat on the down beat.
-
The temporal rhythmic symbols that were taught were quavers (eighth notes), crotchets (quarter notes), and semibraves (half notes).
Academic text (2003) -
When playing the piano, a crotchet is played for a quarter of the duration of a whole note.
Synonyms
1
3.9
A note that lasts for one beat in common time
is the same note but uses a different regional name in British English
How Long
whole note
1
4.2
- Specialized
1
4.2
half note
1
3.6
- Specialized
1
3.6
crotchet
- UK
eighth note
1
4.8
- Specialized
1
4.8
sixteenth note
1
5.8
- Specialized
1
5.8
Surface Forms
Etymology
Crotchet comes from the old French word crochet, meaning 'little hook', and the music name came from the small hook on the note's stem, so a crotchet is the musical 'quarter note'.