a quarter note

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a quarter note" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used in the context of music to refer to a specific type of musical note that lasts for one quarter of a whole note. Example: "In this piece, the composer has chosen to use a quarter note to maintain a steady rhythm throughout the song."

✓ Grammatically correct

Academia

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

43 human-written examples

A quarter note, for example, is represented by a single step.

Encyclopedia Britannica

"Why do you have two eighth notes [tied together] rather than a quarter note?" the violinist Karl Holz asked him.

The New Yorker

The default Pitch for a Note is C (meaning C4) and the default Duration is 1.0, or a quarter note.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Those first notes lengthen by degrees — a quarter note, a dotted quarter, then a half note — and any sense of a steady beat disappears.

The New Yorker

Rhythmic structure cannot be separated from time, or the basic beat, such as a quarter note or series of eighth notes.

Britannica

A-G represents the pitch name (no accidentals), while all notes written conjunctly in a group are interpreted as evenly fitting within a quarter note.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

17 human-written examples

We make the default note length a quarter-note.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

A "note" is a semibreve, and a crotchet is a "quarter-note", a quaver an "eighth-note" and so on.

The Guardian - Books

The songs were often abstracted, but "Maybe," which closed the set, unfolded on deceptively simple terms: a quarter-note melody, played by Mr. Speed with sighing restraint, before an eventual onrush of distortion.

The New York Times - Arts

All five of his musicians dressed in blue work shirts, as if to stress the point that they worked on a schedule: you want this song medium-fast, punk-rock rhythm with a quarter-note feel in the high-hat, heavy guitars with no solos?

The New York Times - Arts

"When he ripped the Post-It off" a viewgraph, revealing the value, "there was a quarter-note rest in the whole audience during which nobody breathed; and then a big gasp, collectively".

Science Magazine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about musical scores, specify the time signature to clarify the duration of a quarter note. For example, "In 4/4 time, a quarter note receives one beat."

Common error

Avoid assuming that a quarter note always equals one beat. While common in 4/4 time, its duration changes in other time signatures. For example, in 6/8 time, an eighth note may receive one beat, making the quarter note worth two beats.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a quarter note" functions as a noun, specifically referring to a type of musical note. As Ludwig AI explains, it indicates a note that lasts for one quarter of a whole note's duration.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Academia

21%

News & Media

29%

Wiki

36%

Less common in

Science

8%

Encyclopedias

4%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a quarter note" is a fundamental musical term denoting a note that's one-fourth the length of a whole note. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's grammatically correct and widely used. Ludwig's examples demonstrate its prevalence across academic, news, and general writing, indicating its role in discussing rhythm and musical structure. Its usage spans from explaining basic music theory to analyzing complex rhythmic patterns, making it an essential concept in musical understanding.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

crotchet

"Crotchet" is the British English term for a quarter note.

quarter rest

"Quarter rest" indicates a silence of the same duration as a quarter note.

one beat

"One beat" describes the duration of a quarter note in 4/4 time.

quarter-note duration

This specifies the length of time a quarter note occupies.

unit beat

"Unit beat" can refer to the beat that a quarter note typically represents.

single beat

"Single beat" is another way to describe the value of a quarter note.

pulse of a beat

"Pulse of a beat" emphasizes the rhythmic aspect associated with a quarter note.

elemental beat

"Elemental beat" highlights its basic rhythmic role.

basic rhythmic unit

This describes the fundamental role of a quarter note.

metrical beat

"Metrical beat" suggests its function within a musical measure.

FAQs

How is "a quarter note" represented in musical notation?

A quarter note is represented by a filled-in oval note head with a stem. Its duration is one-fourth of a whole note.

What is the difference between "a quarter note" and an eighth note?

An eighth note is half the duration of "a quarter note". Two eighth notes equal one quarter note.

How many quarter notes are in a measure of 4/4 time?

In 4/4 time, there are four quarter notes in a measure, as the time signature indicates four beats per measure, and a quarter note receives one beat.

What is "a dotted quarter note"?

"A dotted quarter note" is a quarter note with a dot after it, which increases its duration by half. So, it's worth 1.5 beats in 4/4 time.